Trade History: Jaguars’ deals have included a mix of stars and duds
The Jacksonville Jaguars have made the playoffs seven times in their 25 seasons, but only once in the past 12. They have reached the AFC Championship Game three times (1996, 1999, and 2017), each time led by several stars acquired via the trades on this list. Although the Jaguars have brought in Mark Brunell, Fred Taylor, and Marcell Dareus, they also have made their share of mistakes, such as trading away picks that became Marshal Yanda, Julian Edelman, and Doug Martin, as well as drafting Blaine Gabbert and Justin Blackmon.
1. April 22, 1995:
Jaguars acquired: QB Mark Brunell
Packers acquired: Third- and fifth-round picks in the 1995 NFL Draft
The first trade in the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise brought the team its first true star. Brunell was a member of the University of Washington’s National Championship team in 1991. He played two games with the Packers as Brett Favre’s backup and spent the next nine years as the Jaguars’ starter. Brunell was a three-time Pro Bowler who topped the NFL with 4,367 passing yards and led Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game in its second season in 1996. He is the team’s all-time leader with 25,698 yards and 144 touchdowns, and he was also a dangerous runner who had 38 scores on the ground. Brunell was traded to Washington in 2004, spent three years with the Redskins, two with the Saints, and two with the Jets before retiring in 2011.
Green Bay’s deal with Jacksonville resulted in the drafting of fullback William Henderson and running back Travis Jervey. Henderson was a North Carolina product who played all 12 NFL seasons with the Packers. The fullback was a champion in his second year when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI and was also named a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2004. He retired in 2007 after totaling 320 catches and 19 total touchdowns (14 receiving and five rushing). Jervey, who played in college at The Citadel, was also a part of the Super Bowl-winning squad in 1996 and became Green Bay’s first special teams Pro Bowler the following year. He spent his first four years with the Packers, the two with the 49ers and three with the Falcons before retiring in 2002.
Assessment: Despite Henderson and Jervey having solid careers and being a part of a Super Bowl-winning team, Brunell holds several Jacksonville passing records and led the team to a pair of AFC Championship Games. JAGUARS
2. April 22, 1995:
Jaguars acquired: A first-round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft
Chiefs acquired: First-, third- and fourth-round picks in 1995 and a fourth-rounder in 1996
The Jaguars sent four picks to Kansas City in order to move up 12 spots and select James Stewart, a running back from the University of Tennessee. “Little Man,” (as he was referred to by ESPN’s Chris Berman) was the second pick in Jacksonville history behind USC tackle Tony Boselli, who was taken second overall. Stewart was the starter his first few years, and led the team to three playoff appearances before being supplanted by Fred Taylor. He signed with the Lions in 2000 and posted his only two 1,000-yard campaigns during his four-year stint in Detroit. Stewart suffered a shoulder injury from a hit by safety Coy Wire during a game against the Bills in 2002 and retired the next season. Wire later admitted that Buffalo operated a “bounty” system much like the Saints did from 2009-11 (both were run by Gregg Williams, who was the Bills’ head coach from 2001-03 and the Saints’ defensive coordinator during BountyGate).
Kansas City’s picks in 1995 were Trezelle Jenkins, Troy Dumas, and Steve Stenstrom. Jenkins was a tackle from Michigan who was taken at the end of the first round. He turned into one of the biggest busts in Chiefs’ draft history, playing only nine games in three seasons before being cut in 1997. After failed tryouts with the Saints, Vikings, and XFL’s San Francisco Demons, Jenkins retired in 2001. Dumas was a Nebraska graduate who played 14 games in Kansas City, registering his only career sack early in 1997 before being released. The linebacker finished the season with the Rams, and after a year off, had a failed tryout with the Broncos. He spent one year each with the Arena Football League’s Orlando Predators and the XFL’s Las Vegas Outlaws before retiring in 2001. Stenstrom was a quarterback from Stanford who was released by the Chiefs during training camp. He played in 17 games over four seasons with the Bears and 49ers and split starting snaps with Erik Kramer in Chicago in 1998. Stenstrom spent 2000 with the Lions and retired after he was cut by the Broncos the following year.
The 1996 pick was used as part of a deal with the Dolphins that led to the drafting of Donnie Edwards, a linebacker from UCLA. Edwards did everything during his 117 games in Kansas City, totaling 761 tackles, 16½ sacks, 11 interceptions, nine fumble recoveries, and eight forced fumbles. After eight years with the Chiefs, he signed with the Chargers. There, he made his only Pro Bowl in 2002 and led the NFL with 152 tackles two years later. Overall, Edwards had 1,501 tackles in 13 seasons, registering 100 or more stops 11 times. He retired in 2009. Also included in the Miami deal was a late 1997 selection that was used on Stanford tackle Nathan Parks, who played two games with the Raiders in 1999.
Assessment: Four of the five picks did nothing in their NFL careers, so this trade comes down to Stewart vs. Edwards. Both had their best seasons after leaving their original teams. Edwards had a successful individual career, but Stewart was a solid contributor on a team that reached the 1996 AFC Championship Game. PUSH
3. February 13, 1998:
Jaguars acquired: First- and fourth-round picks in the 1998 NFL Draft
Bills acquired: QB Rob Johnson
Jacksonville used the first-round pick on Fred Taylor, a running back who was a member of Florida’s National Championship team in 1996. He made the All-Rookie Team after rushing for 1,223 yards and a career-high 14 touchdowns in 1998, his first of seven 1,000-yard seasons. Taylor went on to post Jaguars records with 11,271 yards and 62 scores. He also caught 286 passes as Brunell’s security blanket out of the backfield. Taylor made his only Pro Bowl in 2007, but he started to lose carries to Maurice Jones-Drew and was released in 2009 after 11 seasons with Jacksonville. He spent the final two years of his career with the Patriots before retiring in 2011. The Jaguars doubled up on running backs in 1998, drafting Iowa’s Tavian Banks in the fourth round. Banks had 222 yards and a touchdown in two seasons before tearing the ACL, MCL, and LCL ligaments in his left knee in 1999. After two years of rehab, he made the Saints’ practice squad in 2002, but he never appeared in a game and retired after New Orleans released him in 2004.
The Bills were looking for a replacement for quarterback Jim Kelly, who had retired in 1996. Buffalo thought they had the answer after trading for Johnson, a USC product who won his only start in relief of Mark Brunell in 1997. Instead of being a reminder of a franchise great, Johnson was immobile in the pocket and spent most of the next three years behind Doug Flutie. Johnson started the 2001 season 1-7 before he suffered a broken collarbone and was replaced by Alex Van Pelt. Overall, he went 9-17 in four years with Buffalo. He played one season with the Buccaneers and split 2003 between the Redskins and Raiders. Johnson underwent Tommy John surgery the following year, but retired in 2008 after failed comeback bids with the Giants and Titans. After his NFL career, Johnson joined his brother Bret as assistants at Mission Viejo High School in California under their father, Bob, who retired in 2017 after almost 40 years as a high school coach.
Assessment: The Bills used a method many teams have tried recently, trading for a young backup who showed promise after finding the field at the end of a season. The move backfired on Buffalo, who gave up the chance to draft a franchise icon in Taylor. JAGUARS
4. (Part One) April 28, 2007:
Jaguars acquired: First-, third- and sixth-round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft
Broncos acquired: A first-round pick in 2007
(Part Two) April 28, 2007:
Jaguars acquired: Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft
Ravens acquired: A third-round pick in 2007
Jacksonville used the first-round pick from Denver on safety Reggie Nelson, who was an All-American and a member of Florida’s National Championship team in 2006. Nelson was named to the All-Rookie Team after amassing five interceptions the following year. Jacksonville sent him to the Bengals in 2010, and he had 23 interceptions in six years, including a league-high eight in his 2015 Pro Bowl season. Nelson made his second and final Pro Bowl the following year after signing with the Raiders, and he spent three seasons in Oakland before being released in 2018 due to a shoulder injury. The third- and sixth-round picks were traded in separate deals and will be discussed below (the third-rounder went to Ravens for Marshal Yanda and the sixth-round was moved to the Falcons for Uche Nwaneri).
The Jaguars used the first two picks acquired from Baltimore on Maryland punter Adam Podlesh and Notre Dame defensive tackle Derek Landri. Podlesh averaged 42.6 yards per punt over four seasons in Jacksonville. He played three seasons with Chicago and signed with Pittsburgh in 2014, but retired after nearly losing his wife during childbirth. Landri totaled three sacks in three seasons, but had a sack and an interception against Pittsburgh in Jacksonville’s 2007 Wild Card game win. He had three sacks and started every game with Carolina in 2010, spent two years with Philadelphia and one with Tampa Bay before retiring in 2013. Jacksonville traded away the sixth-round pick (which became Maine safety Daren Stone) along with two others to Atlanta in order to move up into the fifth round and select Uche Nwaneri, a guard from Purdue. Nwaneri played 104 games in seven years with Jacksonville. He signed with Dallas in 2014, but retired after being released in the final round of preseason roster cuts.
Denver’s acquired pick was defensive end Jarvis Moss, a 2006 All-American and Nelson’s teammate on the Gators’ National Title team. Moss joined fellow 2007 draft busts JaMarcus Russell, Gaines Adams, Jamaal Anderson, Adam Carriker, and Justin Harrell. He played just 53 games in six seasons with the Broncos and Raiders, totaling six sacks and 48 tackles before retiring in 2011.
The pick the Ravens acquired turned into Marshal Yanda, a guard from Iowa who earned eight Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections. He started 14 playoff games, including a win over the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. After missing most of 2017 with a broken ankle, Yanda came back to earn Pro Bowl bids his final two seasons before retiring early in 2020 after 13 years in the NFL.
Assessment: Nwaneri was the only player Jacksonville acquired that had any sustained success. Moss was a draft bust who never got used to professional defensive schemes in Denver. Yanda was an eight-time Pro Bowler who became one of the NFL’s best offensive linemen over the past decade. RAVENS
5. April 26, 2009:
Jaguars acquired: A third-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft
Patriots acquired: A seventh-round pick in 2009 and a second-rounder in 2010
Jacksonville used its pick on Derek Cox, a cornerback from William & Mary. Cox had 12 interceptions, 32 passes defensed, and 203 tackles in four years with the Jaguars. He spent 2013 with the Chargers and had failed tryouts with the Vikings, Ravens, and Patriots before retiring in 2015.
In traditional Bill Belichick fashion, the Patriots found a gem in the seventh round in 2009 when they drafted Julian Edelman, a wide receiver from Kent State. Edelman spent most of his first four seasons as a returner, but became a fixture in the starting lineup after Wes Welker signed with the Broncos in 2013. He is a three-time champion who was named the MVP of Super Bowl LIII after posting 10 catches for 141 yards and the game’s only touchdown in a 13-3 win over the Rams. Despite never being selected to the Pro Bowl, Welker ranks second in team history with 599 receptions, fourth with 6,507 yards and ninth with 36 scores. He missed the 2017 season after suffering a torn ACL in the preseason. New England traded the 2010 pick and used the acquired second-round selection on Rob Gronkowski, a tight end from the University of Arizona. “Gronk” has been selected to five Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams in his first nine seasons. He has four 1,000-yard seasons and led the NFL with 17 touchdowns in 2011. After missing part of the 2013 season with a torn ACL and MCL, Gronkowski was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2014. He retired in 2019 as New England’s all-time leader with 79 scores, and he also ranks second with 7,861 yards and fifth with 531 receptions. Gronkowski came out of retirement in 2020 and joined longtime teammate Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.
Assessment: On one side, there is Derek Cox, who was a four-year starter in Jacksonville. On the other side are Edelman and Gronkowski, two of the all-time best receivers in New England history and stars on three Super Bowl-winning teams. Enough said. PATRIOTS
6. (Part One) April 28, 2011:
Jaguars acquired: A first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft
Redskins acquired: First- and second-round picks in 2011
(Part Two) March 11, 2014:
Jaguars acquired: A sixth-round pick in the 2014 NFL
49ers acquired: QB Blaine Gabbert
Many great quarterbacks have been a part of memorable trades (Brett Favre, Eli Manning, John Elway, and Johnny Unitas). However, the Jaguars centered not one, but two trades around Blaine Gabbert. They moved up six spots in 2011 to draft the Missouri product, who rewarded them with a 5-22 record in three seasons before being sent to the 49ers. Despite Gabbert’s top-10 draft spot, the Jaguars could only get a sixth-round pick for him, which they used on Luke Bowanko, a center from Virginia. Bowanko started 14 games as a rookie, but played just 24 overall in three seasons with Jacksonville. He spent 2017 with the Ravens and 2018 with the Redskins, but hasn’t played since the Lions released him during the 2019 preseason.
The Redskins found the pass rusher they craved when they drafted Ryan Kerrigan, a 2010 All-American at Purdue, with the 16th pick in 2011. Kerrigan made the All-Rookie Team at defensive end, then switched to outside linebacker in 2012. In nine NFL seasons, he is second in team history with 90 sacks and is just one away from tying for the top spot with 1980s star Dexter Manley. The four-time Pro Bowler also tops the franchise list with 26 forced fumbles. He started the first 139 games of his career before missing four contests in 2019 with a concussion and a calf injury.
Washington traded the second-round pick, which started a series of deals that resulted in the Redskins gaining five picks. Leonard Hankerson, a wide receiver from the University of Miami, was selected in the third round. Hankerson had 81 catches and six touchdowns in four years with Washington and split 2015 between the Falcons, Patriots, and Bills before retiring. He is now an assistant wide receivers coach at Stephen F. Austin State University. The Redskins selected Nebraska running back Roy Helu Jr. early in the fourth round. Helu made the All-Rookie Team after rushing for 640 yards in 2011, but he totaled just 1,132 rushing and 1,152 receiving yards in four seasons in the Nation’s Capital. He spent one unproductive year with the Raiders before retiring in 2016. The pick in the fifth round was DeJon Gomes, a safety from Nebraska who had 40 tackles and an interception in two seasons with the Redskins. He signed with the Lions in 2013, but was released and later retired after suffering a shoulder injury during a preseason game the following year. SMU wide receiver Aldrick Robinson was chosen in the sixth round. Robinson had just 30 catches in three years with the Redskins and 86 overall in six seasons with five teams. He has not played since the Panthers released him in the final round of roster cuts before the 2019 season. In the seventh round, Washington selected offensive lineman Maurice Hurt, who won two National Championships with Florida. Hurt played 21 games in his first two seasons, but never returned to the NFL after having arthroscopic knee surgery in 2013.
Gabbert was traded to San Francisco, where he spent three years splitting the starting quarterback spot with Colin Kaepernick. Even though Kaepernick led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII against the Ravens, both he and Gabbert were out of San Francisco after the 2016 season. Gabbert spent a year each with the Cardinals and Titans and missed all of 2019 with the Buccaneers after dislocating his shoulder. He resigned with Tampa Bay in 2020 to be Tom Brady’s backup.
Assessment: Gabbert was a dud in Jacksonville, but showed flashes of being a capable starter before he was released by San Francisco. Bowanko and most of the Washington picks were non-factors, but Kerrigan has been a solid and underrated pass rusher for nine seasons. REDSKINS
7. April 26, 2012:
Jaguars acquired: A first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft
Buccaneers acquired: First- and fourth-round picks in 2012
The Jaguars only had to give up one extra pick in order to move into the fifth spot and select Justin Blackmon, a wide receiver from Oklahoma State who was a two-time All-American and a two-time recipient of the Biletnikoff Award for best college football wide receiver. However, Jacksonville soon found out that Blackmon had issues. He didn’t even make it to the first day of training camp before he was arrested for DUI in June, but despite that, he made the All-Rookie Team. His 2013 season included two suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, with the second bringing about an indefinite ban. Blackmon was arrested for marijuana possession in 2014 and again for a DUI the following year. The Jaguars have never officially released him, but the suspension has never been lifted and his NFL career is all but over. In 20 NFL games, Blackmon posted 93 receptions, 1,280 yards, and six touchdowns.
Tampa Bay used the seventh overall pick in 2012 on Mark Barron, who was a two-time All-American and a member of two National Championship teams with Alabama. Barron started his first three years at strong safety, posting 176 tackles, three interceptions, and two sacks with the Buccaneers. He was traded to the Rams midway through the 2014 season, and St. Louis converted him to linebacker. Barron responded with 380 tackles, seven sacks, and five interceptions in five seasons with the Rams. He spent 2019 with the Steelers but was released in March 2020.
The fourth-round pick was traded as part of a deal that allowed the Buccaneers to get another first-rounder, which was used on Doug Martin, a running back from Boise State. Martin was an All-Rookie Team member and a Pro Bowler after rushing for career highs with 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2012. Three years later, he ran for 1,402 yards and six scores, which earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. Martin ranks third in team history with 26 touchdowns and fourth with 4,633 yards. He signed with the Raiders in 2018, but was released before the following season and has not played since. The other pick acquired in the Martin deal was sent to the Texans, then to Buccaneers, who drafted Lavonte David, a two-time All-American linebacker at Nebraska. David ranks third in team history with 1,001 tackles, including seven seasons with 100 or more. He was an All-Pro in 2013 and a Pro Bowler in 2015.
Assessment: Martin and David were stars in Tampa Bay and Barron was a capable player who showed promise before he was traded to St. Louis. Blackmon was a gifted player, but his issues with drugs and alcohol torpedoed what was a promising NFL career. BUCCANEERS
8. May 9, 2014:
Jaguars acquired: A second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft
49ers acquired: Third- and fifth-round picks in 2014
The Jaguars turned their acquired pick into Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson, who was an All-American in 2013. Robinson earned his lone Pro Bowl selection in 2015 after posting 80 catches, as well as career highs with 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, which also led the NFL. In four years with Jacksonville, he had 202 receptions, 2,848 yards, and 22 scores, but he played just one game in 2017 after suffering a torn ACL. Robinson signed with the Bears in 2018, and he had a career-best 98 catches last year.
San Francisco turned its two selections into USC guard Marcus Martin and South Florida defensive end Aaron Lynch. Martin moved to center in the NFL and played 26 games in three seasons with the 49ers. He signed with the Browns in 2017, but did not play, and his 2018 season with the Cowboys was marred by a torn ligament in his right big toe. Martin has not played since he was released by the Seahawks before the start of the 2019 season. Lynch’s career has been beset by injuries. He played 44 games in four seasons with San Francisco, registering 15 sacks and 83 tackles. Lynch spent the past two years with the Bears and signed with the Jaguars in May 2020.
Assessment: Lynch and Martin were both part-time starters with San Francisco, while Robinson made Blake Bortles look good during his 2015 Pro Bowl season. JAGUARS
9. April 29, 2016:
Jaguars acquired: A second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft
Ravens acquired: Second- and fifth-round picks in 2016
Jacksonville used the second-round pick to select Myles Jack, a linebacker and running back at UCLA. After focusing solely on defense as a pro, Jack has 5½ sacks, 287 tackles and two touchdowns (one interception and one fumble return) in four NFL seasons. His production led to a four-year, $57 million extension in 2019.
The Ravens used the fifth-round pick acquired from the Jaguars on Matt Judon, a linebacker and pass rusher from Grand Valley State. Judon has 28½ sacks in four seasons, including a career-high 9½ in 2019, when he was selected to the Pro Bowl. The second-rounder (2018 Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard) was sent to the Dolphins for two picks that became Boise State linebacker Kamalei Correa and University of Cincinnati wide receiver Chris Moore. Correa played two seasons with the Ravens, making 19 tackles in 25 games, mostly on special teams. “Kameleon” signed with the Titans in 2018 and has registered 8½ sacks and 56 tackles in 29 games with Tennessee. Moore has four touchdowns in four seasons with Baltimore and also has 1,080 yards on kickoff returns.
Assessment: Jack has been a solid player in all facets of defensive play in Jacksonville, while Judon has been a pass rush specialist in Baltimore. PUSH
10. October 28, 2017:
Jaguars acquired: DT Marcell Dareus
Bills acquired: A fifth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft
Dareus, the MVP of Alabama’s National Championship victory in 2010, was selected by the Bills with the third overall pick in 2011. During his nearly seven-year stay in Buffalo, he was a member of the All-Rookie Team, earned two Pro Bowl selections and was named an All-Pro in 2014, when he posted a career-high 10 sacks. He ranks ninth overall in Bills’ history in that category with 35. Dareus’ acquisition paid immediate dividends for the Jaguars. He combined for 10 tackles and two sacks in three playoff games as Jacksonville took New England to the limit in the 2017 AFC Championship Game. He played 15 games in 2018, but missed 10 the following year due to core muscle surgery. The Jaguars released Dareus in February 2020.
Buffalo used the pick on Wyatt Teller, who was an All-ACC guard with Virginia Tech in 2017. Teller started the final seven games for the Bills at left guard as a rookie, but he was traded to the Browns before the 2019 season. He played in 15 games, starting nine on the right side, in Cleveland.
Assessment: Dareus did not have much of a run in Jacksonville, but he played a key role in the team’s run to the 2017 AFC Championship Game. Teller spent one season in Buffalo as a part-time starter. JAGUARS
All NFL statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
Next: Kansas City Chiefs
Writer