Did the Jaguars Have an Underrated Offseason?

The Jacksonville Jaguars had one of the busiest offseasons in the entire NFL and, frankly, in team history.

After the departures of former head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke, the Jaguars wiped the slate clean when it came to their football leadership. Now, the Jaguars will have to see if their steady flow of moves this offseason will actually lead to on-field results and an improved squad.

The Jaguars, of course, certainly believe that is what will happen. The Jaguars poured resources into problem areas such as the secondary, offensive line and their pass-rush depth, while also re-working their skill room to find weapons who fit what new head coach Liam Coen wants out of his scheme.

But how do the Jaguars' stack up against the rest of the offseason moves made by the other 31 franchises? That question was answered by ESPN's Seth Walder, who gave the Jaguars a 'C' for their offseason.

"Jacksonville bungled its regime change to start the offseason, firing Doug Pederson but originally retaining general manager Trent Baalke. The latter seemed to be an impediment for finding a new head coach, but once Jacksonville fired Baalke, it was able to land Liam Coen, who shined as the Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 2024 and is a coach who could potentially provide a schematic advantage," Walder said.

"New Jaguars general manager James Gladstone wasted little time making a big move, dealing picks Nos. 5, 36, 126 and a 2026 first-rounder for the No. 2 selection, along with picks Nos. 104 and 200. They used the pick on Hunter. The trade was an overpay, with Jacksonville giving up a quarterback-level premium to make the move."

It is not a surprise for the Hunter move to be brought up as a sticking point; as rare as a talent as he is, it seems the consensus, whether right or wrong, is the Jaguars gave up more than they should have.

"Hunter is the most justifiable non-QB to prompt such a move because of his potential to be a high-end wide receiver and cornerback. But I would not have made this move, which demonstrated a level of overconfidence in the evaluation process that usually does not pay off. The Jaguars mitigated the value damage of the Hunter trade with a nice trade down with the Lions on Day 2."

This feels like a harsh assessment of the Jaguars' offseason; had the Jaguars been a talentless team with no pieces already on the roster, then it would make more sense to ding them for the Hunter move.

But this simply is not the case, and perhaps makes the Jaguars' offseason underrated.