While the 2026 NFL trade deadline fell on November 10, the biggest deal of the week actually came one day earlier, when the Jacksonville Jaguars traded a first- and second-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for defensive tackle Jordan Davis.
Discussing the blockbuster deal and how quickly it came together on ESPN, Adam Schefter revealed that James Gladstone wanted to get a deal done quickly, presenting Howie Roseman with a deal too good to pass up after a galvanizing Thursday Night Football win over the Baltimore Ravens.
“It came together quickly. As a matter of fact, they got on the phone with the Eagles yesterday, and they said, ‘We want to get this done in the next hour or so,' and the Eagles weren't expecting that to happen. But Jacksonville obviously spent the weekend after the big Thursday night win in Baltimore laying out its plans and thinking about ideas, and they thought outside the box, and they went early in the morning and got Jessie Bates,” Schefter said.
“Then they got Davon Godchaux, and then they went out for the crown jewel, going to get Jordan Davis for first- and second-round picks. And the Jaguars general manager, James Gladstone, knew that this already was a really strong team, one of the best in the NFL. And he felt like this was an opportunity to make a really good team that much better to give it a chance to win the Super Bowl. And they went out and traded all those picks. Again, he came from Los Angeles, an organization that has not had all that much respect for draft capital. And that is how James Gladstone operated yesterday.”
With not one, not two, but three big trades on the defensive side of the ball before the deadline, it's clear the Jaguars really wanted to load up on talent as they look to bring a Super Bowl trophy back to Duval County. While some may quibble with how much Davis cost to acquire, at the end of the day, it sure sounds like Gladstone got the deal he wanted done on his timeline and is riding with his decision down the stretch.