In the aftermath of their preseason game against the New Orleans Saints last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars sent center Luke Fortner to The Big Easy in exchange for defensive tackle Khalen Saunders Sr. They should consider making another trade after their 24-20 win in this year's opener. This time, though, the Jags should target quarterback Zach Wilson.
While Jacksonville has a pretty good quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, the preseason opener exposed the underwhelming depth behind him. Nick Mullens got the starting nod and left much to be desired. Carter Bradley then took the field and was a mixed bag, catching fire after a slow start.
The Jaguars will be fine as long as Lawrence doesn't miss time, but the team's brass shouldn't hesitate to give New Orleans a call to inquire about Wilson's availability. Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida suggested the idea after the win over the Saints, and it most definitely makes sense.
Zach Wilson makes sense as a trade target for the Jaguars
The Saints signed Zach Wilson to bolster the depth at the quarterback position. However, he was going to need to compete for a job, as Spencer Rattler was the primary backup behind sophomore Tyler Shough.
Rattler got the start against the Jags, going 8-of-11 for 42 yards. For his part, Wilson completed 11 of 16 passes for 145 yards with one touchdown.
Sure, Rattler had the better completion rate, but his average of 3.6 yards per toss left much to be desired, while Wilson averaged 9.1 yards per throw.
But as good as Wilson looked, he's not a lock to make the Saints roster, with Rattler in the fold. Moreover, New Orleans just signed Hunter Dekker as the fourth-stringer. This begs the question, could the former BYU Cougar be available for trade?
Zach Wilson isn't a franchise QB but would give the Jaguars depth behind center
When the Jets drafted Zach Wilson second overall in 2021, he looked like their quarterback of the future. Heck, some analysts believed he would be better than Trevor Lawrence. He wasn't, though, and after an underwhelming three-year stint in the Big Apple, the Draper, Utah native was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2025 to back up Tua Tagovailoa.
Once again, Wilson didn't do much of note with the Phins, and he signed with the Saints earlier this year to try to keep his NFL career going. Maybe his encouraging outing against Jacksonville helps him move up the depth chart, but if New Orleans isn't planning on keeping him as the No. 2 behind Tyler Shough, the Jaguars should give general manager Mickey Loomis a call and see what it takes to get a deal done.
While Wilson is nothing more than a backup at this stage of his career, he would be an upgrade over Nick Mullen in Jacksonville. Landing with the Jags would also give him a chance to rebuild his stock under head coach Liam Coen, who's proven to be a quarterback whisperer wherever he goes.
Of course, Wilson would be QB2 behind Trevor Lawrence, but would he be any better if he stayed in the Bayou? It wouldn't hurt general manager James Gladstone to inquire.
Who knows? Maybe the Jaguars can take care of what appears to be one of their most concerning roster holes heading into the regular season.
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