The Jacksonville Jaguars have been prominently featured in trade rumors essentially the entire NFL season because of Brian Thomas Jr.
Everywhere you look, you can find someone trying to figure out whether the Jags will trade Thomas away. It’s certainly a fair discussion point.
But all the BTJ talk misses the truth about the Jaguars as they head toward the trade deadline.
This is a 4-2 team with aspirations of a Super Bowl. If they trade Thomas, it won’t be because they’re rebuilding. It’ll be because they’re giving up on his future as a player.
The Jaguars are actually a team that will be buyers at the deadline. The Thomas chatter is just a high-profile side task that they have to decide what to do with.
And so for Jacksonville fans who are tired of hearing about Thomas, there’s some good news. One standout player from the NFC East might be available, and he might make sense for the Jags.
Jaguars Trade Rumors
The latest intrigue came from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen in a new article on Wednesday.
They’ve linked the Jaguars to Washington Commanders defensive tackle DaRon Payne, a former first-round pick.
Payne is given three “best fits” in a new article by that ESPN duo on Wednesday, and those three teams are the Jaguars, the Giants and the Buccaneers.
Fowler and Bowen give Payne just a 25% chance of being traded overall, but there’s a particular lean to the Jaguars in their insight.
“Washington dealt key defensive pieces at the deadline three years ago and could be faced with a similar predicament this time with Payne, who’s 29 and still has value,” Fowler writes. “Payne is a 2027 free agent with a $16.4 million base this year. But the NFC East is also winnable, despite Washington’s 1-4-1 record, so that could be a point in favor of the Commanders keeping him. Jacksonville is a potential fit, with some in the league noting the Jaguars could use a versatile interior player with pass-rush ability and have looked for that since the offseason.”
This would be a rental for the Jags with Payne a free agent after the season, but it could be worth it.
How Good is DaRon Payne?
Payne seems to be past his prime, but he’s still a sturdy presence on the inside.
“Payne can still provide an interior presence due to his foot quickness and strength in one-on-one matchups, plus he will impact the run game from multiple alignments,” Bowen writes. “He had a career-best 11.5 sacks in 2022, but he has totaled only 12 over his past four seasons.”
Thomas will continue to dominate trade headlines, but the scope of Jacksonville’s season will depend on adding players like Payne to the mix.
Jaguars Trade Rumor Lands $16.4 Million NFC East Star