JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Benjamin from Perth, Western Australia
Just a statement really. I am an Australian and I have been a big fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars for some time now. I just wanted to say that no matter where you finish on the NFL ladder … you guys are champions to me.
Cool stuff. This also kinda sorta maybe in a roundabout way touches on a recent O-Zone discussion about "optics" and how the Jaguars are "viewed." An argument can be made that this is sort of a pointless discussion – and the thought here is the discussion has much to do with the internet/social media age in which we live. NFL fans these days spend a lot of time between games reading reading/listening to what people say, write and "tweet" about their team – and there's more such NFL chatter available to more fans than ever. This deluge of chatter has created the perception that what people write and say about a team matters when the reality is it matters not a whit. This is not college football, where perception and rankings might dictate – or at least influence – a season. Playoff spots in the NFL are determined by how you play on the field – not what outsiders think or how they vote. If you win on the field in the regular season, you qualify for the postseason. If you win enough in the postseason, they hand you a big silver trophy in February – and if you win a big silver trophy, what people say and write about you doesn't matter because you have a big silver trophy.
Michael from Brandon, VT formerly Brunswick GA
Has anybody commented on this NY Times review of Senior Bowl week? Tight end: Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M. In his six college seasons (five at Nebraska, plus the 2025 season with the Aggies), Boerkircher never topped 200 receiving yards. However, that is more an indictment of the offenses he played for than of him. At 6-feet-5 and almost 247 pounds, Boerkircher snapped off routes all week and did a great job catching the ball through contact. His success as a pass catcher this week, combined with his blocking highlights from last season, means he will be a popular mid-round target. I also want to shout out Houston's Tanner Koziol, who uses his size (6-6½ with 34 1/8-inch arms) to his advantage. He did a nice job throughout the week, culminating with a Y flag route run to perfection from snug (slot) alignment during red-zone team drills for a touchdown.
The Jaguars selected Boerkircher in Round 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting Koziol in Round 5. Many analysts in the "deluge of chatter" criticized the selections and many Jaguars fans followed the analysts' lead. I hadn't seen this Senior Bowl report. Perhaps the Jaguars did. What's important to remember in this and most draft-related discussions is that while reporting and analyzing perhaps makes for interesting reading, "positive reviews" mean as much as the negative quick-trigger criticism. Which is to say not at all. It's fun. It fills your day. But good NFL executives and evaluators pay internet buzz little-to-no attention. Much of it is the work of casual observers – and that casual observing undergoes a lot of online regurgitation. All that observing and regurgitating gives an illusion of expertise that often is unfounded. Good teams do their own evaluating, which is what the Jaguars did leading to this draft. Is it nice for fans to read positive reviews of their team's draft? Sure. Either way, time will tell if a draft was good or not. Stay tuned.
Dr. John from Collegedale TN (formerly Amelia Island)
Do you realize Boerkircher only caught 36 passes in his entire college career? Can a guy at the tight end position be properly evaluated on such thin experience?
As well as most college players can be evaluated for professional football. They are very different games and any scouting is imperfect projection.
Mason from Palm Bay, FL
Hey, John. With the mention of Rashean Mathis in the O-Zone, it has me thinking about the Pride of the Jaguars. I know you love having this conversation every offseason. But in all seriousness, because this is a very serious forum, it does seem like Keenan McCardell will be the next player inducted. Every time Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli has a chance to talk about Keenan, he speaks very highly about him as a player and person, so I assume he will use his influence to get him in. What other former players do you think are worthy of being enshrined? I personally think Rashean and Maurice Jones-Drew have to be on the list, but I'm not sure how exclusive the Pride is intended to be.
I don't mind the conversation at all. I expect former Jaguars wide receiver Keenan McCardell and running back Maurice Jones-Drew to be enshrined in the Pride of the Jaguars in the foreseeable future – by which I mean at minimum very soon after the Stadium of the Future is functioning as the Jaguars' home stadium. That doesn't mean I have heard they will be enshrined or that I have information on dates, just that I strongly believe right will be made right soon enough. I also believe cornerback Rashean Mathis and defensive end Tony Brackens deserve to be so honored, with more to follow soon thereafter.
Bradford from Orange Park, FL
It would be hard to ask for a better disposition than that of Boselli. Jaguars Owner Shad Khan appointing him to that position is going down as one of the single most important developments this organization's had take place.
Fair.
Ryan from Apopka, FL
Well, if this was an easy choice at No. 27. Then 28 might be one of the three easiest answers! One for Freddy!
Cornerback Rashean Mathis was an easy selection for the best player in Jaguars history to wear No. 27. Candidates for the best player in Jaguars history to wear No. 28 include defensive back Monte Grow (1995), safety Dana Hall (1996-1997) and running back Fred Taylor (1998-2008). If Mathis was easy, then Taylor indeed classifies as insanely easy.
Pedal Bin from Farnborough, Hampshire, UK
Oh Mighty 'O' / King Of All Funk, it is Fred Taylor isn't it. No debate.
Yep.
Bruce from Owensboro, KY
Grow, Hall or Taylor. That's a toughie.
One fer Taylor.
Jordan from Lincoln, NE
Can we just skip to 29?
Nope.
John from Section 206 as long as it's there
Just skip to No. 29.
Nah.
Adrian from Reading, UK
It has taken me a full week to get over the shock of you overlooking the greatest Jaguar to ever wear 00. This disrespect will not stand!
I suspect you're speaking of Jaxson de Ville. Which is cool and all. To a point. If you're into that sort of thing.
Sam from Orlando, FL
I was there at the local wildlife sanctuary when Eugene "Werewolf" Frenette shaved his back before the '99 season.
There are more than a few disturbing details in the story of former longtime Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon/thought leader Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette. This is "up there."
Mike from Daytona Beach, FL
You recently entertained a question about the impact of the Miami Dolphins' dead money cap hit of $179 million. That made me think about the impact on the Jaguars' roster/season(s) of their 2026 $55 million dead money hit. Despite that albatross, the Jaguars managed to sign left tackle Cole Van Lanen, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, cornerback Montaric Brown and running back Chris Rodriguez to contracts that have a combined average per year of $52.6 million. So KOAF, two questions. One, suppose that the Jaguars' dead money number was much higher - to the extent that it became virtually impossible to sign most, if not all, of those four players. What would be your predicted impact on the roster in this and future seasons? Two, if the amount of dead money this year was zero, what would be your predicted impact of the extra $55 million in cap space?
One, they wouldn't have been able to sign those four players in your first scenario so they wouldn't have been as good – or deep – at left tackle, wide receiver, cornerback or running back. Two, I don't know how much different the offseason would have been had the Jaguars had more cap space. I expect they may have pursued a defensive tackle or defensive end a bit heavier in free agency. Maybe. But that's not guaranteed. And I don't know that it would have changed substantially how the Jaguars approached signing their own free agents. You manage the cap for the long-term if at all possible, and paying some of the departing players enough to retain them may not have made sense in the long term.
Brittany from Duval
Can I get free tickets to Jags game?
How nice are your friends? How highly do they think of you? Do they think of you at all? Do they have tickets?
