2018 NFL Trade Machine: Dante Fowler to the Bears
By Erik Lambert
The Jacksonville Jaguars could be a big part of the 2018 NFL trade machine, whether they want to or not. This can be thanks to their salary cap situation.
At present, it’s not a burden, but that’s going to change in a big way next year. Current estimates have them being upwards of $17 million in the red when the 2019 offseason begins. That’s bad enough but it’s made worse by several key players having contract issues coming up. First on that list is former 1st rounder pick Dante Fowler Jr. There are plenty of reasons to think they might not be able to keep him.
For one their decision not to pick up the 5th year option on his rookie contract was pretty telling. This after Fowler posted eight sacks in 2017. It feels like a concession on their part that they simply can’t pay everybody. With Myles Jack and Yannick Ngakoue also needing new deals soon enough, sacrificing Fowler may be necessary to maintain cap stability. At the same time, they can’t afford to lose him for nothing.
Thus the trade talks gain traction. Can they find a team that might bite?
Bears are the right phone call if Jags don’t jack the price too high
The thing Jacksonville has to remember is they aren’t in the best bargaining position. By refusing to pick up the option, they’ve put a ceiling on the trade worth for Fowler. While he’s a young, ascending pass rusher for sure, he’s also on an expiring contract. No team will want to give up high draft assets for a player that might leave at the end of the season, which he technically could.
This means keeping the price reasonable, likely in the realm of a 3rd or 4th round pick. If that’s the case, the team they want to call is the Chicago Bears. Their GM Ryan Pace did a fine job overhauling the roster this offseason. However, he’s drawn some criticism for failing to supplement their pass rush. As of now Leonard Floyd and Aaron Lynch are their two best options. Not exactly ideal given their expectations.
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Pairing Floyd with Fowler instead could give them the sort of front seven that teams would fear. Also with over $40 million projected in 2019, they’d have the money needed to give the 23-year old his desired extension.