Trading Roy Robertson-Harris could signal that Jaguars already setting sights on 2025

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't doing great six games into the 2024 season, so you would think that they would be looking for ways to improve. Instead, they're reportedly moving from a long-time contributor, and that could be the first of more moves to come.

One day after the Week 6 loss to the Chicago Bears, the Jags are sending Roy Robertson-Harris to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2025, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, who later added that both sides are still finalizing the deal.

As of this writing, the team hasn't made an announced the news yet but it may be a matter of time before it does, based on Pelissero's reporting.

Update: The Jags have announced the move on social media and their official website.

An undrafted free agent in 2017, Robertson-Harris spent his four NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears. He signed with the Jags in 2021. Since then, the former UTEP Miner has appeared in 54 games with 49 starts, registering 11.5 sacks and 123 total tackles. He was named team captain in his first year with Jacksonville and quickly became a mainstay of the defensive front.

With Robertson-Harris no longer in the mix, rookie Maason Smith could get an increased role inside. On the other hand, it will be intersting to see how the coaching staff replace his production on the edge. Per Pro Football Focus, the Oakland California native logged 67 snaps outside the offensive tackle, 66 of them the past four games. Perhaps Arik Armstead could get more playing time behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen.

It's worth noting that this is the first trade that takes place within the 2024 season. Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports gave the Jags a C+ for the move, pointing out that Robertson-Harris didn't have a big role on the defensive trenches this season, Jacksonville could do without him.

"I'm not going to claim this is the beginning of the fire sale for the Jags, but they are clearly listening to offers on players. There were six defensive linemen who outsnapped Robertson-Harris on Sunday, so it's not like he has been a pillar of Ryan Nielsen's unit. A unit which changed base defenses this year, by the way. "

On the other hand, Dajani gave the Seahawks a B- because he thinks Robertson-Harris gives them much-needed depth in light of Byron Murphy II's hamstring injury.

Trading Roy Robertson-Harris could be one of many moves the Jaguars will make to acquire future assets.

The Jacksonville Jaguars lost their fifth game of the season before they traded Roy Robetson-Harris. They're 1-5 heading into Week 7 and with a slim chance to turn things around. Heck, head coach Doug Pederson is on the record saying that the team needs a culture change, while Andre Cisco told the local media that players are already throwing in the towel. This is to say that the Roy Roberston-Harris trade could be a sign that the team's brass is already thinking about the future.

After all, the Jags won't get any short-term benefits beyond Maason Smith possibly having a bigger workload. Trading Robertson-Harris, they're accelerating a $6.9 million cap charge, and his departure leaves a total of $11.7 million in dead money for 2024. On the other hand, the sixth-round pick they'll tentatively be getting from the Hawks could come in handy during a potential rebuild.

Now, it's not a given that the Jaguars will start over in 2025 but it's fair to say that the roster could use reinforcements based on how things have played out this season. Having as many draft picks as possible could help.

The bottom line is that the Roy Robertson-Harris trade is a case of addition by subtraction. The Jacksonville Jaguars acquire extra assets and their young players get to take their place in the lineup. All things considered, the move looks good when you consider that not many things have gone the way the top brass would've wanted.

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