JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Chris from Fleming Island
O-Man, Rayuan Lane went to the Naval Academy, what is his requirement for serving the USMC? Does he have to serve four years after he retires, or is he exempt for playing in the NFL?
Jaguars safety Rayuan Lane III may play in the NFL because of a relatively recent provision that amended military service obligations for athletes graduating from United States Service Academies. It's called Section 557 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, legislation under which three graduates from each service academy per year can pursue professional sports careers. These players can fulfill their service obligations by helping recruit and retain members of the armed forces. This is what Lane is doing.
Ken from Jacksonville
Are you privy to trade offers generally and those that do not go through? Where I am going is: If there is a player that you know is a can't-miss/Pro Bowl elite player (i.e. defensive end Myles Garrett; wide receiver Calvin Johnson) are teams offering the farm to move up and get them – and if so, are you aware of what those kind of offers look like? In a similar vein, with the Jaguars likely drafting a linebacker with one of their first two picks, would you make a large offer for a player like Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles if you thought he was going to be on par with pass rushers Von Miller or a Khalil Mack? Thanks O!
General managers' phones are busy throughout every NFL Draft. People around teams – myself occasionally includes hear some of what general managers say to one another, though not remotely close to everything. Remember, too: Can't-miss prospects are only "can't-miss" in retrospect – but the elitest of the elite prospects are usually selected at the top of the draft and those teams selecting those elite prospects typically want to choose them rather than trade away their rights. As for Styles … he's almost certain to be a Top 3 selection – and there's no realistic amount of draft equity that would allow the Jaguars to move up from No. 56 overall to the Top 3.
Michael from Orange Park, FL
Forget football season. Tell me what really matters. Is it draft season yet?
It's always draft season in the NFL. Apparently. The 2026 NFL Draft begins Thursday with Round 1 and runs through the end of Round 7 on Saturday. I can't wait, I guess. Maybe I can, but it's not necessary. The draft is here. At last. Woo.
Tom from Sanford
Does Travon Walker's four-year extension come after the fifth-year option, meaning he is signed for five years? Or does it replace the fifth-year option, meaning he is signed for four years?
The contract extension Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker recently signed is four years and runs from 2027-2030. He already played 2022-2025 on his rookie deal signed after the Jaguars selected him No. 1 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft and he essentially will play 2026 on the "fifth-year option" on his rookie contract – though the details of what he will make each specific season from 2026-2030 have yet to be reported.
Chris from Fleming Island
OZONE, I'm confused, and that can be confusing, but if we traded Tyson Campbell for Greg Newsome why are the Jags picking up the dead cap on both players?
I'm genuinely sorry you're confused, because few things in life are more confusing than confusion – and one of those things sometimes is the NFL salary cap. I'll try to explain this one as un-confusingly as possible. The Jaguars have a $19.52 million in dead salary cap charge for cornerback Tyson Campbell for 2026, with that dead cap charge essentially his 2027 and 2028 salary cap charges for his amortized signing bonus rolling onto the team's 2026 cap. A major reason the Jaguars traded Campbell to the Cleveland Browns for cornerback Greg Newsome II in Week 6 this past season was to get Campbell's charges off the 2027 and 2028 caps – thereby creating more cap flexibility for other long-term deals during those cap years. My understanding is that the reason the Jaguars also have a dead cap charge for Newsome for 2026 is they restructured his contract and added "voidable years" upon completion of the Campbell/Newsome trade. That allowed the Jaguars to create needed cap space for 2025 in the short term, but meant that when the Jaguars allowed Newsome to leave as an unrestricted free agent this offseason a $7.1 million dead cap charge – the amortized total of those added years – rolled into the 2026 cap. The good news for the Jaguars is the overriding reason for the Campbell/Newsome trade is being accomplished – which is freeing nearly $50 million in Campbell's contract from the 2027 and 2028 caps. There has been some mopping up to get done around here in the last year or so. This is part of the mopping.
Nicholas from Fort Hood, TX
KOAF: I have to agree that the best thing in the franchise was our kicker getting kicked while stretching. Former Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer did more for the organization in that one moment than the other 12 games he coached.
We talk a lot in the O-Zone about the importance of being nice. Despite maybe, maybe, maybe a kernel of truth here, this is certainly not nice.
Charles from Riverside
Hello, John. In previous drafts, the Los Angeles Rams have traded away their first-round pick for the next year to move up into the first round in the current year four times: 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2021. And rumor has it that they most likely will forfeit next year's first-round pick (29th) for cornerback Trent McDufie. Seems like it hasn't worked out too bad for the Rams. The Jaguars traded with the Cleveland Browns to move up and select wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft last year. Note that Coen was with McVay from 2018-2020. So hypothetically, who stands out in the first round that would be a must have for the Jags to make this move again?
I'm aware Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen worked with the Los Angeles Rams under Head Coach Sean McVay from 2018-2020. I'm also aware that Coen worked with the Rams under McVay in 2022. More pertinent to the discussion – and more influential to the Jaguars' draft philosophy overall – is that Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone worked for the Rams under Rams General Manager Les Snead from 2016-2024. Could the Jaguars move to the first round this offseason in a similar fashion to how the Rams have done it recently? Sure. Maybe. No guarantees. What prospect could prompt such a move? Think defensive front – and in particularly, think pass rush.
Don from Marshall, NC
The biggest difference in Trevor Lawrence running last year was he was aggressive and dove headfirst safely instead of sliding and getting whacked! Just remember when you come to a fork in the road … take it! Go Jaguars!
When it comes to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence not getting whacked – and to dropping a well-timed and unexpected Yogi-ism – Don remails "all in."
Bradley from Death Valley, CA
I heard Gladstone describe the 11 draft picks as " at bats," which resonated with me because that is always the way I have seen the draft. Do you expect Gladstone to take a big swing or two?
I expect Gladstone and this decision-making regime – including Coen and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli – to always be ready and willing to make bold moves. I therefore expect them to be ready and willing to take a "big swing or two" – which absolutely could mean trading up from No. 56 this week. A swing into Round 1 from there would be really big, but is also absolutely possible. Whether they take it depends on what's available as we move into late first round on Thursday. There's no way to know until then. Remember: Teams don't trade up for the sake of having a first-round selection. They trade up for specific player – and you only know such specifics in real time.
John from Jacksonville
Are we all here because we're not all there?
How do we know if we're really here?
Jadon from Raleigh, NC
Who is the best player to wear No. 6 for the Jags in Jaguars history?
This is a comparatively "shallow pond" – with players such as quarterback Jake Luton (2020), cornerback Chris Claybrooks (2022), quarterback Cody Kessler (2018), defensive lineman Jihad Ward (2021), cornerback Greg Newsome (2025) and safety Darnell Savage (2024-2025) the best possibilities. Pass on this one.
Garrett from Charlotte, NC
I have to say that when you first started doing this column, I didn't like you very much. I gave it time and thought you would grow on me. I'm not going to give things time and let things grow on me anymore.
Well played.
