Jaguars Make Perfect Sense as Trade Destination for Saints Star

The Jacksonville Jaguars need a whole lot of help defensively. That much should have been obvious when they surrendered 52 points to the Detroit Lions back in November.

But where specifically do the Jaguars need help?

Some will point to the cornerback position, but Jacksonville actually has plenty of talent there with Tyson Campbell, Jarrian Jones and Montaric Brown.

Where Jacksonville does need some assistance, however, is at safety.

Andre Cisco was a rather big disappointment for the Jaguars this season, and Darnell Savage doesn't appear to be half the player he was with the Green Bay Packers.

Jacksonville will almost certainly be trying to add some help there during the offseason, and it may want to ask the New Orleans Saints about veteran Tyrann Mathieu.

Mathieu is definitely a bit older, as he turns 33 years old in May. However, he could be exactly what the Jaguars need in their secondary.

The three-time Pro Bowler definitely showed signs of decline in 2024, but let's remember that he was an elite defensive back last year, posting an 87.4 coverage grade at Pro Football Focus.

The Saints are in desperate need to clear some cap space, so they may be willing to let Mathieu go for a late-round draft pick.

Mathieu has just one year remaining on his deal and is slated to earn $6.25 million in base salary next season, so it's not like he would be a major financial obstacle for the Jaguars, either.

The LSU product would provide some much-needed leadership to a mostly young Jacksonville defense, and he would also make its defensive backfield quite a bit better.

The Jaguars may want to try to go for some younger options, but there is nothing wrong with bringing in a seasoned veteran for some balance.

Keep this in mind, too: it wasn't long ago that Jacksonville looked like a legitimate AFC contender. Heck, the Jaguars started 8-3 in 2023 before things went off the rails.

Jacksonville has plenty of talent in place to be competitive in the AFC South next season, especially if Trevor Lawrence stays healthy. The Jaguars really are just a couple of pieces away from becoming serious playoff hopefuls in such a weak division.

Swinging a trade for Mathieu would help in Jacksonville achieving that goal.

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