Grading the A.J. Bouye Trade From the Jaguars’ Perspective

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a major move on Tuesday when they traded former Pro Bowl and All-Pro cornerback A.J. Bouye to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2020 draft. The move signaled the Jaguars' willingness to reshape their roster and churn out high-priced veterans in favor of draft capital.

When examining the trade, it is clear why each team agreed to the deal. Denver got a starting-caliber player before he was able to hit the open market, while Jacksonville got a draft pick for a player who was unlikely to remain on the roster in 2020 due to his cap hit of $15.5 million.

The Jaguars will now have to reshape their secondary, but with 10 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, including two in the first round and six overall in the first four rounds, they are in a prime position to do so.

With the Bouye trade now officially in the rearview, it is time to examine how the Jaguars made out in terms of value. Did they strike a fair deal, or did the Broncos gain the upper hand?

Why the trade was a good move for the Jaguars

Bouye was still a solid player for Jacksonville in 2018 and 2019, but he didn't come close to playing at the elite level he did when he made the Pro Bowl in 2017. In his first year with Jacksonville, he recorded six interceptions and 18 pass deflections. In the next two seasons? Only two interceptions and 16 pass deflections combined.

Bouye, 28, is still very much a starting-caliber cornerback, but his production wasn't justifying the high contract figures he was seeing over the next several seasons. For a cap-strapped team like the Jaguars, it would have been tough to keep Bouye and his $15.5 million cap hit in 2020. By trading Bouye, the Jaguars gave up minor production but saved $11,437,500 on the cap in 2020, according to OverTheCap. This gives the Jaguars about $33.7 million in cap space.

Considering the financials, Bouye was never a likely candidate to remain on the roster in 2020. The Jaguars needed to free up cap space to sign their draft class, be active in free agency, and place the franchise tag on Ngakoue. This means the Jaguars could have realistically nabbed a seventh-round selection for Bouye and it still would have been fair value because chances are he was going to be cut within a week or so regardless.

By getting a fourth-round pick for the veteran cornerback, the Jaguars have given themselves 10 picks in next year's draft, the most in general manager Dave Caldwell's eight-year tenure. This includes six picks in the first four rounds, a major advantage for a team that has to restock its roster with cost-controlled options.

Why the trade could be a questionable move for the Jaguars

The Jaguars got good value for Bouye in terms of draft compensation considering his contract and production, but the trade did leave the team with a big void in the secondary.

Jacksonville will almost assuredly have to use one of its top picks on the cornerback position after trading both Bouye and Jalen Ramsey in the last calendar year. The duo entered the last three seasons as the team's starting cornerbacks, so the Jaguars will have to replace their skill sets and experience at some point this offseason.

Tre Herndon and D.J. Hayden each arguably outplayed Bouye in 2019, but the loss of Bouye's experience and leadership on the defense will likely still be felt. The Jaguars will have to use either free agency or an early pick in April's draft to replace Bouye, but any new addition will be making a transition to Jacksonville's scheme and locker room that Bouye wouldn't have had to make.

There aren't too many flaws with this trade from the Jaguars' perspective. Could it signal a rebuild? Maybe, but not likely since Bouye was simply a longshot to be on the roster in 2020 regardless. While a new corner won't be as familiar with what Jacksonville does on defense as Bouye is, this is only a minor issue.

Overall grade: A

This trade couldn't have worked out much better for the Jaguars. Bouye did a lot for the team in his three seasons, arguably living up to the massive contract the Jaguars gave to him in 2017, but the writing was always on the wall for his place on the roster in 2020.

With the trade, the Jaguars lose a valuable member of the locker room but get another crack at a draft pick on the opening round of day three as a result. The Jaguars could have released Bouye and got nothing for him in return. Instead, they have added to their draft arsenal.

Bouye did a lot of good things in Jacksonville, but trading him and his contract for an early day three pick is about as well as the Jaguars could have possibly done in this scenario.

Add us as a preferred source on Google