The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a humbling loss to the Seattle Seahawks 20-12 in Week 6, but that doesn't mean that their season is suddenly over. They'll need to clean up mistakes and improve execution, but they still have a favorable chance to earn a postseason berth.
On the other hand, the Jags could also bolster the roster to increase their odds of making the playoffs, and their latest cap restructuring just put them in a position to fortify their pass rush.
The Jaguars converted Greg Newsome's salary into a signing bonus
Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac reported that the Jaguars converted Greg Newsome's salary into a signing bonus, freeing up $7 million in space in 2025 by adding four void years.
The #Jaguars converted $8.8M of CB Greg Newsome II's salary into signing bonus, adding 4 void years, creating $7M of cap space for 2025.
JAX now heads toward the 11/4 trade deadline with around $12M of room to work with.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) October 14, 2025
When the Jags traded for Greg Newsome, they took on his $8 million salary for the remainder of the season. That left them with just around $900,000 in space. To give themselves some cushion, they restructured left tackle Walker Little's and wide receiver Dyami Brown's contracts.
After reworking Newsome's deal, Jacskonville now has $12.3 million. At this point, it wouldn't be shocking to see them make further moves to create even more cap space. In fact, it's possible that general manager James Gladstone is paving the way for a big acquisition.
Why the Jaguars must pursue Trey Hendrickson
Following the Greg Newsome trade, James Gladstone said that the Jaguars could make more moves before the November 4 deadline. Given his track record of making deals, nobody would bat an eye if he took a big swing. Throughout his stint in Duval, the first-year general manager has made trades to address needs, and right now, the team's biggest one is the pass rush.
Josh Hines-Allen has routinely brought the hit but hasn't made enough game-altering big plays this season. Travon Walker is dealing with a wrist injury and isn't one percent. On the other hand, Emmanuel Ogbah and Dawuane Smoot are fine rotational players but not much else. That's why bringing in reinforcements makes sense.
The best pass rusher available is Trey Hendrickson. After a contract impasse that lasted most ot the offseason, the First-Team All-Pro nod signed a one-year contract worth $29 million. The Cincinnati Bengals are getting plenty of bang for their buck, as he's logged four sacks and posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 86.5. The Jaguars could most definitely use that kind of production at defensive end.
Now, trading for Hendrickson wouldn't come cheap. Aside from having to rework his deal or probably give him an extension, the Jaguars would have to compensate the Bengals. That said, Cincy is currently 2-4, so they may be willing to entertain offers for the four-time Pro Bowl defensive end to rebuild their roster next year, especially if they don't plan to keep him long-term.
Now, the Jaguars don't have a first-round pick selection in 2026, but they still have their second-rounder and three picks in the third round. They also have nine on Day 3, so they could surely put together a trade package enticing enough to acquire Hendrickson without hindering their ability to replenish the roster in next year's draft.
The drawback of acquiring Hendrickson is that it would hinder the Jaguars' ability to sign their own players. Running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Devin Lloyd are in line for new deals. Trading for Hendrickson would make it a tad more challenging to sign either one (or both).
Of course, Hendrickson isn't the only pass rusher who could be available via trade, but he's the best. Bradley Chubb could also be had, and should be cheaper to get. It's also worth noting that Jacksonville could also trade for help at receiver, safety, or defensive tackle.
Having said that, the prospect of trading for Hendrickson is too good to pass up, and it's one the Jaguars most consider if they want to considerably increase their chances of making a playoff push.