3 Jaguars who should be traded or worse after loss in London: Doug Pederson is gone

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a mess, falling to 1-5 on the season after losing to the Chicago Bears in London. The Jags signed Trevor Lawrence to a long-term, record contract before the season because why not? Lawrence was a former No. 1 overall pick after all, and has all the talent in the world. Unfortunately, Lawrence hasn't looked right since the first half of last season. Doug Pederson is no longer the answer at head coach, either, despite what owner Shad Khan said this week.

"I still believe in them," Khan told the Florida Times-Union this week. "I believe in the players, I believe in the coaching staff. I believe in Trent. Obviously, the results are disappointing for all of them, just as well as me or any other Jaguar fan, but the key thing one has to understand [is] we have evolved and really got to a level. I think we've got the players, we've got the coaching, we've got the facilities."

The facilities could be top-tier, but it won't help the Jaguars bring soon-to-be free agents to Jacksonville. The best players like playing in front of full stadiums, which Jacksonville does not offer. They also prefer winning, and now the Jags are far behind the eight ball in that department despite their Super Bowl-winning head coach.

3. Doug Pederson is toast despite what Shad Khan says

The Jaguars failed to make the playoffs last season thanks to a loss to the lowly Tennessee Titans in the final week of the season. Pederson has backed that up with a 1-5 start. The Jaguars are unlikely to make the playoffs. Whatever worked for Pederson in Philadelphia is failing him in Jacksonville.

"Every game you go to, you want to do everything to win it, and this is the NFL, that's hard," Khan said before the London game. "Every game is competitive. A loss is a loss, but [it's about] how you lose. To me, the three games we lost early in the season, it's disappointing, [but] we could have won them."

Perhaps a defeat to the Chicago Bears -- a team that held two top-10 picks in 2024 for a reason -- might be enough for him to reconsider his stance.

2. Travis Etienne has too much value not to trade

Travis Etienne's had a rough start to the regular season thanks to injuries. However, he is one of the better running backs in the NFL when healthy, and he still has a few years left on his rookie deal. Running backs have depreciated in value in recent seasons, so Jacksonville would not get back more than, say, a fourth-round pick in return for their starting rusher. However, even that is better than overpaying him or forcing Trent Baalke into a Saquon Barkley-like negotiation with him.

Running backs tend to peak around 28 years old. Etienne is only 25, and still has a few good years left in him. Yes, that sentence makes me feel 1,000 years old, as I am 31. However, that's the life span of an NFL running back these days.

One team which could be interested in a player like Etienne is the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones did a horrendous job replacing Tony Pollard this offseason, and it shows. Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, and Rico Dowdle aren't cutting it.

1. Christian Kirk is the most likely Jaguars player to be traded

Christian Kirk has plenty of talent, and would make a decent WR2 for plenty of teams around the NFL. Of course, he won't fetch a ton of value in return, but Kirk is not a necessity for Lawrence and the Jaguars moving forward.

Kirk is two years removed from a thousand-yard season, and just last year he had 787 yards through the air. Clearly, when he has capable quarterback play, Kirk can create separation and make plays on the outside.

A team like the Pittsburgh Steelers could really use Kirk. It's unlikely the two teams compete for a playoff spot this season. Meanwhile, the Steelers are lacking at wide receiver outside of George Pickens. Van Jefferson and Roman Wilson aren't cutting it in 2024. Kirk won't fetch a lot back in return, but by pushing back the NFL trade deadline this season, Roger Goodell added more emphasis on a late-season run.

The Steelers, sitting pretty at 3-2 and first in the AFC North (tied with Baltimore) are a player away from creating an explosive offense for Arthur Smith. Adding Kirk would go a long way.