JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Brandon from Amarillo, TX
Hey, O! This is the first time in a looooong time that I'm looking at our opponents for the upcoming season and not seeing any sure losses, which is exciting! While I know we aren't going 17-0, it's a good feeling. Based on your way-too premature projections, what are our most likely losses in your estimation? I usually plan on a split with the Houston Texans, but I think our toughest game actually might be the Baltimore Ravens if quarterback Lamar Jackson can get his groove back.
Loyal O-Zone readers – and he knows who he is – know that any time before Week 5 or 6 of an NFL regular season is too early to determine strength of schedule, which makes mid-February waaaaaay too early for even prematurely projecting such things. Still, what's an offseason O-Zone for if not for premature projections? Remember: The Jaguars' 2025 AFC South Championship season means a first-place schedule in 2026. That means playing five division champions from 2025: At the Denver Broncos (AFC West) and at the Chicago Bears (NFC North) – and home against the New England Patriots (AFC East), Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC North) and Philadelphia Eagles (NFC East). The Jaguars' toughest games in 2026? Start with those five and add in the home and away games against the Texans. For now.
Shawn from Moore County, BC
The Tennessee Titans have the No. 4 pick and $99 million in salary cap space. The Jags are $10 million over the cap and had the 30th-ranked draft class from 2025. How big of a jump do you see the Titans making and how big of a fall will the Jaguars drop? I'm talking records here? I'm guessing the Titans five to seven wins and the jags add three to four losses.
Your premise leans heavily into the notion that cap space and early draft selections automatically mean improvement – and into the notion that adding free agents is the only way to improve. It also leans into the notion that teams must fall off if they can't be active in free agency. What these notions omit is the reality that improving from within is often the best way to improve. Your premise also mentions a "draft class ranking" – a concept that perhaps seems sound when viewed on the internet, but has little bearing on reality. The Jaguars like their 2025 draft class and believe it will produce multiple starters, front-line players moving forward. Are they right? We'll start learning a lot more in 2026. Either way, there's no reason to assume the Jaguars will fall off next season. I expect them to win double-digit games at a minimum. How much will the Titans improve? I haven't the foggiest, though I do expect them to improve. They've struggled a while and it's time for them to start gaining traction.
John from Merritt Island, FL
You may want to add to your answer that the negotiation period for free agents begins on March 9, the day after one of the greatest days of the year. We "spring ahead" on March 8.
My team is on the floor.
Kaydie from Jacksonville
Left tackle Walker Little strikes me as a prime trade candidate. He's relatively young, versatile, a good teammate, healthy and currently under a very reasonable contract. Given that Anton Harrison and Van Lanen will almost surely be the starting offensive tackles in 2026 and some newfound depth at guard, would you agree? If so, what would you approximate the compensation to be from another franchise?
Trading Walker Little makes sense with a few conditions: 1) That you find a team willing to take on his salary; 2) That you have a better option at swing tackle; 3) That you get reasonable compensation. Reasonable compensation for a very good swing tackle? Second- or third-round-ish. Maybe a bit less.
Justin from Jax Beach, FL
No question, just a clarification. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold didn't have to pay so much in taxes because of the $178,000 he earned. It was because he had a $2.5 million bonus for winning the Super Bowl. The media in all their wisdom to try to get clicks said he had to pay $71,000 on $178,000 earned, which sounds ridiculous, but it's not correct. The reality is he earned $2.67 million. So he got taxed about $250,000 for that. Keep doing what you do O-Zone.
Good point. There is still the matter of the huge difference in taxes for playing a game in one state compared to playing one in another. But yes … the media in this era must write and produce stories in such a way as to "get clicks." This is because most people consuming content on the internet won't pay for it. These are our times.
Gary from St. Augustine, FL
Even with no football, you still suck.
Good eye.
Matthew from Townsville, Tropical Australia
Hi, O. The Travis Hunter trade was fun. General Manager Gladstone looked like a ringmaster twiddling a football as he ran the show. But what did the Jags get? It was sold as "two players in one" but it has become clear Hunter can't manage fulltime offense and defense. The fragile body many observers saw got injured and instead of two players it was barely one for half a season. This was instead of two first rounders and one second rounder - three good players who could have played well in roles that are now yawning gaps with many first teamers becoming free agents. It just doesn't look like balanced team building. Is there a risk of another big splashy move in this year's draft that bets the house on a flyer, with the true cost felt down the track?
Your assessment of this trade, while bold, is premature – and seemingly based far more on conventional wisdom and assumption than fact. Most notable in this vein is the declaration that it has become clear Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback Hunter "can't manage fulltime offense and defense." Has that become clear? Or is it just an assumption based on a very small sample size? While it's true Hunter sustained a season-ending knee injury, that doesn't automatically make his body "fragile." Hunter sustained his injury in a non-contact situation in practice. Many, many big, strong NFL players who play solely one side of the ball have sustained non-contact injuries in practice. I don't know if Hunter will be a Pro Bowl selection on both sides of the ball. I don't know if he will change the course of football. I don't know if he will be "worth" what the Jaguars gave up to acquire him. But those who believe the trade was a failure don't know that, either. I don't know what the Jaguars will do in the 2026 NFL Draft, though I expect Gladstone and the Jaguars to do what they did last offseason – to maneuver in the draft however possible to make the team as good as possible, whatever form that takes.
Tom from The Mean Streets of Nocatee
Hi, John. When Willy Mays-Hayes arrived to spring training in his tricked out Bug and introduced himself to Lou Brown he said the following: "I'm Willy Mays-Hayes. Hit like Mays. Run like Hayes." I saw that clip recently and had a Eureka moment. Hayes is an homage to Duval's own Bullet Bob! How good is that? Who says that the O-Zone can't be educational?
Pretty good, I guess. No one, I don't think.
Robert from Elkton
John. Who from the current roster would you list as best all-time Jags for a full starting team? Very hard choice, but I'd say defensive end John Hines-Allen makes it over Calais Campbell as one end paired with Tony Brackens. And as good as Mark Brunell was, I would have to go with Trevor Lawerence at quarterback (Mark Brunell was surrounded by insane amount of talent). And my gut tells me Travis Hunter will be in with Rashean Mathis and that dude with a bad back at corner. I don't know that any other players crack the top of their position groups against Jags of the past. No offensive lineman, running backs, receivers, tight ends, linebackers, safeties. And when I think this year's team had a legitimate chance to play in the Super Bowl, it really makes me appreciate how great a job the new coaching staff did and gives me a ton of hope for the future.
Trevor Lawrence is the best quarterback to play for the Jaguars and I'm hard-pressed to think of an all-time tight end I would rank over Brenton Strange. I expect defensive Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker would find their way into an all-time starting lineup. Beyond that….
Tony from Johns Creek, GA
O, the Jags don't have a 2026 first-round pick. The Los Angeles Rams gave up multiple first round picks and won a Super Bowl and still competitive today. I think we're good.
They a-ight.
