The NFL trade deadline has already started to tilt in Jacksonville’s favor.
While most of the league has been quiet, the Jaguars went out and made three separate moves yesterday to strengthen their defense before today’s 4 p.m. ET cutoff.
Jacksonville acquired Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis, Saints defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and Falcons safety Jessie Bates III, paying a steep price in draft capital to do it: a 2027 first-round pick, second-rounders in ’27 and ’29, plus fifth- and sixth-round picks in ’28. The sixth-rounder can become a ’27 sixth-rounder if certain conditions are met.
The biggest swing of the bunch was Davis. Since Philadelphia drafted him 13th overall in 2022, he’s been a steady force up front, and he’s started 60 straight games dating back to the beginning of the 2023 season.
Only Harrison Phillips and Kenny Clark have matched that streak among defensive linemen in the league. Jacksonville needed help there after DaVon Hamilton’s season-ending injury in Week 8, and the need only got louder after the Jaguars gave up a season-worst 5.1 yards per rush in their Week 9 win over the Ravens.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, keeps collecting draft ammunition. After moving Davis, A.J. Brown and Cam Jurgens, the Eagles now hold two first-round picks in next year’s draft, two firsts and two seconds in 2028, and two seconds in ’29.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Taylor’s future in Indianapolis looks just about settled in everyone’s mind except the calendar. The Pro Bowl running back has been the most talked-about name in deadline chatter, and after Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, he gave Colts fans what sounded a lot like a goodbye in the locker room. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that Indianapolis is expected to trade Taylor and “will take the best offer that’s on the table” rather than wait for a perfect one.
Taylor is 27, led the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns last season and played all 17 games for the first time since 2021. The Giants, Broncos and Vikings have all been tied to him, and Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that New York offered second- and fifth-round picks. But Giants coach John Harbaugh said Sunday that the offer was no longer on the table.
The quarterback situation in Minnesota is the other major headache hanging over the deadline. Monday night’s loss to the Bills was another brutal reminder of how shaky that room has become.
Kyler Murray sat out with a hamstring injury, and his status going forward is very much up in the air. Hamstrings can be tricky, and even once he’s cleared, there’s still the risk of aggravating it again.
That leaves the Vikings staring at Carson Wentz, and last night was rough. He went 8 for 25 for 81 yards and threw two interceptions against a Bills pass defense that has been one of the NFL’s weakest.
Minnesota doesn’t need a superstar under center to chase a title - its defense is already the best in the league - but it does need someone who can protect the ball, keep drives alive and give that defense a breather. Wentz wasn’t close to that.
The problem is that the market doesn’t offer a clean fix. The Colts could move Daniel Jones as part of their fire sale.
The winless Chargers might be willing to deal Justin Herbert. The Raiders could hand the keys to No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza and open the door for a Kirk Cousins reunion in Minnesota.
The Commanders may be willing to move backup Marcus Mariota now that Jayden Daniels is healthy. None of those paths is perfect, but all of them look better than letting Wentz steer the ship.
And a few other things stood out last night: Yaroslav Askarov’s sliding overtime save for the Sharks, Victor Wembanyama’s finger roll from beyond the free throw line, Byron Murphy’s interception of a Josh Allen pass in the end zone, Georgia Gwinnett College’s defensive stand to finish off Alabama State, and Bobby Durkin’s buzzer beater to lift Minnesota over Cincinnati.
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Carson Wentz is set to start Monday night against the Bills with Kyler Murray sidelined by a hamstring injury, leaving Minnesota to navigate a prime-time matchup with a thinner quarterback room than it would prefer. With the trade deadline drawing closer, the Vikings have at least kicked around the idea of adding help at the position, a sensible thought for a team trying to steady itself while the season keeps moving.
The problem is that the market has not been friendly. The names that naturally come up in a search for quarterback insurance have not been available, and league chatter suggests Minnesota is not aggressively chasing a deal right now anyway. So for the moment, the Vikings are left to ride with what they have and hope the current setup can hold long enough for the deadline to pass without forcing a bigger decision. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Ugly Loss Just Put The Offense Under A Harsh Spotlight
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Vikings Pressure Is Mounting As OConnell Cant Ignore QB Problem
The Vikings are staring at a quarterback conversation they can no longer sidestep after the loss to Buffalo, and Kevin OConnell made clear afterward that any potential move before the trade deadline would run through general manager Nolan Teasley. OConnell also owned up to the teams poor showing and the strain that comes with trying to steer the offense as both head coach and play-caller, a combination that has only sharpened the scrutiny around a position that has been too inconsistent for comfort.
With the deadline approaching, the pressure is no longer just about one bad afternoon but about whether Minnesota can afford to stand pat if it wants to keep the season from slipping further. The options floating around are still only that, options, but the bigger issue is obvious: the Vikings need a better answer under center, and OConnell is now in the middle of a decision that could shape the rest of the year. [Read more 🡒]