Why the Dolphins must call Jaguars about Mac Jones after Tua Tagovailoa's injury

In the aftermath of the concussion Tua Tagovailoa suffered in Week 2, the Miami Dolphins find themselves in need of a starting quarterback. Coincidentally, the Jacksonville Jaguars happen to have two pretty good ones in Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones. The former is the face of the franchise, so the Jags wouldn't listen to trade offers for him. The latter, however, could be had for the right price, which in the Phins' case, would be extremely high.

Tagovailoa suffered a concussion against the Buffalo Bills in Thursday Night Football. This was noteworthy because it's the third one the Alabama product has sustained throughout his NFL career. The other two took place in back-to-back games in 2022. He had a fourth one with the Crimson Tide in 2019.

This has led to questions about Tagovailoa's health and future in the NFL. Analysts and fans have weighed in but that's something only he can decide. For the time being, Miami needs to find his replacement. That's where the Jags come in.

Dan Orlovski of ESPN suggests Miami calls the Kansas City Chiefs about Carson Wentz while bringing up Jones as as other option.

Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal has covered the New England Patriots for years. Having first-hand knowledge of Jones, he belives the Dolphins would be an ideal fit for him because of the similarities in his and Tua's game.

The crew at WEEI Afternoon Show, a Boston-based show, also thinks that Miami should trade for Jones, also citing his similarities with Tagovailoa.

As you can see, the consensus believes Jones is the Dolphins' best option to replace Tagovailoa. It's understandable. A first-round pick in 2021, the Jacksonville native led New England to the playoffs and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. However, he then proceeded to have a rough two-year stretch in which he was benched several times. The Patriots believed they had seen enough of Jones and traded him to the Jaguars in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

Since landing in Jacksonville, Jones has gone on to enjoy a career revival. He looks like a completely different quarterback and reminded everyone in the preseason just how talented he is, having completed 73.1 percent of his passes for 421 yards with three touchdowns.

Now, Jones sits behind Lawrence, ready to step up if called upon. Then again, the Jaguars could get a massive trade haul from a desperate Dolphins team. This begs the question, should they trade him?

Why the Jaguars should trade Mac Jones to the Dolphins

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Dolphins will need to find a viable starting quarterback as soon as possible. The Jaguars should take advantage of that need and ask for a hefty haul in exchange for Mac Jones.

Back in 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles traded Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for fourth and first-round picks when Teddy Bridgewater suffered a season-ending injury. It's fair to say that Jones is a much better (and healthier) quarterback than Bradford was at that stage of his career.

But for the sake of the argument, let's say the Jaguars are willing to shop Jones, that should be their starting asking price. If they're going to give up such as valuable asset as a backup quarterback, they need to get a proportional return. First and four-round picks seem like a fair price when you factor in the risk Jacksonville will be taking on. Speaking of...

Why the Jaguars shouldn't trade Mac Jones after the Tua Tagovailoa injury

The Jaguars would be left exposed if they traded Mac Jones. Trevor Lawrence is healthy but that wasn't the case last year when he suffered a myriad of ailments that hampered him. Precisely because the team's brass wanted to have a competent quarterback behind No. 16, they traded for Jones in the offseason.

Last year, Lawrence was pressed into action because Jacksonville didn't seemingly have confidence in C.J. Beathard's capability to win games. It wouldn't then make sense for them to give up their only insurance behind their starting quarterback for the remainder of 2024.

Maybe if Beathard were available, the Jaguars would think about trading Jones but he suffered a groin injury and will miss several weeks. The former Iowa Hawkeye was released with an injury settlement after cutdown day and could potentially return to the team until Week 7 (at the earliest).

Right now, the only quarterback the Jags have besides Jones is John Rhys Plumlee, who signed to their practice squad before the start of the season. It's unlikely that the team's brass will feel comfortable with him as QB2 if they trade Jones.

Maybe Jacksonville could sign Ryan Tannehill if they traded Jones but it's hard to see him signing for a team-friendly deal. Keep in mind that Jones is making $2.7 million in 2024. That's one of the reasons they acquired him, to begin with.

Ultimately, the Jaguars would be taking on a massive risk if they traded Jones but the returns would be big. It certainly deserves to give it a thought.

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