James Gladstone Reveals No Interest in One Big Move

Gladstone on Dexter Lawrence

Gladstone was asked directly about New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence during pre-draft comments on Thursday, and the usually transparent Gladstone was quick to dismiss it.

"That's not something we've gone into. Obviously, he's under contract with them, so not at liberty necessarily to even talk about it," Gladstone said.

It clearly is not a surprise to see Gladstone sidestep this question. General managers and coaches can not talk about players under contract for another team other than the context of "hey, this guy we are playing this week is pretty good!"

For Gladstone to break from that rule would have been much more shocking than him stating the Jaguars currently have no interest. Lawrence requested a trade from the New York Giants just a few days ago, and Gladstone and other general managers could view this as a posturing period in which Lawrence is asking for an out to secure a new contract with the Giants.

Gladstone wasn't openly saying the Jaguars were going to trade for Jakobi Meyers or Travis Hunter, either. Though there is reason to believe the Jaguars would potentially not be candidates for a Lawrence trade, namely their cap situation and lack of a first-round pick, Gladstone's comments alone do not give any reason to rule it out.

Still, it feels more likely that Lawrence plays for the Giants next year than anyone. But as John Harbaugh said, everyone is tradeable -- even you reading this. If Gladstone could get a conditional 7th for me, I am sure he would.

With that said, there are other reasons why a Lawrence trade would make sense for the Jaguars. The Jaguars badly need to address their defensive tackle spot and interior pass-rush if they want to make a real run as contenders in 2026, and Lawrence is a dominant pass-rusher as a nose tackle.

But do not expect for Gladstone or the Jaguars to make any move today, tomorrow, or even the next day. As things stand today, it feels like the Jaguars and Gladstone's focus are one their 11 draft picks this month. After that, we will see.