JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Pedal Bin from Farnborough, Hampshire, UK

Oh Mighty 'O'/King of all Funk, Trevor shortlisted for MVP and Comeback Player of the Year and Liam Coen shortlisted for Coach of the Year. I cannot recall three such nominations before in Jaguars history. What are the chances of a win in any of these categories? I'm going with no chance on any. Fred Taylor got snubbed this year. I expect Trevor and Liam to be ignored, too. Small-market team eh?

The Jaguars indeed made the "short list" for some of the NFL's most-high profile honors for the 2025 season, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence a finalist for AP Most Valuable Player and AP Comeback Player of the Year – and with Head Coach Liam Coen a finalist for AP Coach of the Year. The NFL and the Associated Press announced the finalists for all three awards Thursday morning, with the winners to be announced at the NFL Honors during Super Bowl week. While multiple entities award various postseason honors, the AP's version are typically considered the most "official" of these awards. The Jaguars to my knowledge never have had a finalist for any of the honors, though there is not to my knowledge a comprehensive list of "finalists" – and there weren't really "finalists" for these awards before the rise of the "NFL Honors" show over the last decade and a half or so. I expect Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to be MVP and I expect New England Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel to be Coach of the Year. I believe this because Stafford's statistics are impressive and the Rams were good enough this season to merit their quarterback being MVP. I believe this, too, because Vrabel coached the Patriots from a 4-13 season to a 14-3 season – which is one game better than Coen coaching the Jaguars from a 4-13 season to a 13-4 season. This is not to say Coen and Lawrence don't deserve the awards, just that Stafford and Vrabel also deserve recognition – and likely will receive it. I expect there's a good chance Lawrence will win Comeback Player of the Year. As for the small-market-team stuff … I get it as a motivation thing and it's awesome how it bands Jaguars fans together. But the Jaguars' being nominated for those three awards sort of runs counter to the notion that the NFL world is overlooking this team. Just saying.

Jim from Middleburg, FL

'Bout time.

My Scooby Sense – and not my Scobee or Spidey Sense – tells me you're saying it's " 'bout time" the Jaguars got recognition for their 13-4 season, and that said recognition came in the form of Lawrence and Coen being announced as finalists for prestigious league awards Thursday. This recognition indeed was well-timed. The Jaguars had their best regular season in more than two-and-a-half decades in 2025. Outside of a few good seasons, they hadn't done all that much during that span to deserve recognition – and they got a bit of recognition during those seasons. They did a lot in 2025 to deserve recognition and they got a lot of recognition. Good stuff.

Chuck from Proud to be in Jagsonville

First, really proud of the turnaround and what appears to be the beginning of a solid foundation. Just need to ensure 2026 does not turn into 2023 and 2024. A comment to all the whiners about take the points. I am old as dirt, so I get the point, but this is not the old NFL. The offense pushes the limits to get points because the rules favor the offense, so you take the risk because seven is always more than three. As you look at the games in the postseason and how many times the coaches go for it, Coen is not alone. I may not always like it or like the play call, but I have come to accept it, and all the whiners need to get over themselves. Thanks, and looking forward to next year.

You are not alone.

Brendan from Yulee

Yo, KOAF. Can the Jags just pay the coordinators a lot of money to stay? Does it count against the salary cap?

There is no salary cap on what NFL teams can pay coordinators. But teams can't "just pay" coordinators to keep them from becoming head coaches for other teams – mainly because those other teams will "just pay" them to be head coaches.

Tom from The Mean Streets of Nocatee

Speaking of "Small Market Blondes," when does this franchise bring back The Culligan Girl?

I still have no idea what you're talking about.

Armand from Jacksonville

John, in being nice, please ask Gary to either get a life or get back on his meds.

Gary from St. Augustine is a visionary whose ideas may well shape our society long after we have passed from this world. While it's important in the O-Zone to be nice, Gary need not be nice. He's "grandfathered in," or something like that.

James from Titusville, NJ

I would have taken the points, too, but Coen didn't and he won't. Not now, not ever. His commitment to the cause in the face of an avalanche of evidence to the contrary is admirable. #Nodaysoff.

So was 13-4.

Scott from Gilbert, AZ

Zone, is Cole Van Lanen a starting-caliber left tackle? I know he was incredibly serviceable before having to sit out against the Bills with a knee, and that anyone paying attention could see Trevor's clock sped up with Walker Little trying to protect his blind side, so wondering if that will be our position of greatest need in the offseason; having to get that done with our first pick in the mid-fifties and very little cap space?

I expect Cole Van Lanen and Anton Harrison to be the Jaguars' starting tackles in 2026. I don't yet have a great feel who will start on what side.

Johnny from Howey In The Hills

Dr. O: Final note from me this season ... great reading and listening to daily and weekly broadcasts and editorials. In particular, a big shout out to you, Kainani Stevens and Brian Sexton for the Jags A.M. and other game-by-game broadcasts. Really enjoy them and look forward to organized team activities and fall practice. All the best for a safe, healthy and newsworthy entry into 2026.

I thank you. The Jaguars thank you. The supporting cast thanks you.

Wes from Ponte Vedra

A pro-Jags podcast I listened to recently was referencing some third-party websites that track teams' salary cap space. Those sites are estimating running back Travis Etienne Jr.'s future contract, based on his metrics, to be in the $6-7 million-per-year range. This seems low based on the hype around his impending free agency. How much do you think his next contract will be, whether he stays in Duval or goes elsewhere?

I expect it to be in the range of $10-13 million, but that's a guess and I'm not all that great at guessing about these things.

Alex from Michigan Formerly Florida

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, I'm seeing a lot of tough games that will quickly reveal who the Jaguars are. We have games against the New England Patriots (AFC Championship caliber), Philadelphia Eagles (recent Super Bowl champions), Denver Broncos (Here We Go Again), and Chicago Bears (almost NFC Championship caliber). We also have tough teams in the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans. We should be OK against the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. We'll see how it goes with Washington. I'm excited to see how T-Law, Liam, and our defense handle these teams.

Beware assessing schedules before we're a month or so into the season. Really beware assessing schedules eight months before the start of the regular season. I expect the Jaguars' 2026 regular-season schedule to be challenging. It's professional football, not the Southeastern Conference. Few games are easy.

Brendan from Yulee

KOAF. Twenty years ago, coaches would rely on the "feel" of the game instead of analytics (which wasn't around). My thing with the whole new-school, go-for-it-every fourth down is this: Analytics wont tell you if your line is getting mollywhopped every play. Analytics will say go for it, yet fail to tell you, " Hey!, your line is getting pushed back, get your points!" Maybe I'm just old school, but I think these analytics are making everyone stupid.

One not fer analytics. And one for exclamation points! And mollywhopping.

Josh from Atlanta, GA

Is there another active coach in the NFL you would rather have than Liam for this group? When I first thought about the answer, I said to myself, "Of course there is a guy or three." Then the more I pondered, after what we just saw in just one season, I don't think there is.

Coen is the right person for the right position at the right time. That doesn't always happen. It seems to be the case in this case.