According to the New York Times’ playoff simulator, the Jaguars are down to just a five percent chance at making the postseason after their latest loss and even that feels generous.
There’s a reason teams that are such long shots typically trade away players and that’s because, at a certain point, there’s not much point in keeping them around.
Take wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr., for instance. At 32, he’s the oldest player on the Jaguars offense and he’s fourth on the team in receiving yards, behind Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Zay Jones. His contract is expiring in the offseason and the Jaguars have a promising young talent behind him on the depth chart in Tim Jones who has hardly seen the field.
The Jaguars may not be inclined to trade away Marvin Jones, but those are the kind of players a non-contending roster doesn’t need to cling to.
Would Trent Baalke — a general manager who knows his job security is far from ironclad — be willing to tear down the roster with a move as consequential as sending away pass rusher Josh Allen? Probably not, but he did send away James Robinson for not a whole lot, so cashing in players for draft picks clearly isn’t off the table.
There’s tinkering that can be done that would continue to set up the Jaguars for what they really need: more young talent added to the roster.
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