Wednesday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that teams had been reaching out to the Jacksonville Jaguars to potentially trade for safety Tashaun Gipson, and most tend to think there is a good chance that they will pounce on it. We agree with those sentiments at Jags Wire as the team has a potential successor locked up for cheap in Jarrod Wilson and wouldn’t be shocked if a move is made soon. Here are some teams we feel could be in the mix for Gipson’s services as he could help a variety of teams:
San Francisco 49ers
Not only do the 49ers need some help at safety, but their defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, was on the Jags’ staff not that long ago (2016) and watched Gipson first-hand. He worked under current Jags defensive coordinator Todd Wash as the Jags’ linebackers coach, and prior, both were on Pete Carroll’s staff with the Seattle Seahawks.
Needless to say, as coaches from the Carroll tree, both run an identical scheme, so Gipson would fit right in. They also are seventh in the league in cap space with nearly $70 million available, per Over the Cap. Simply put, they could take Gipson’s deal easily without modifying it and send the Jags their sixth-round pick (they don’t have a fifth) in exchange.
Los Angeles Chargers
Our comrades over at Chargers Wire have a piece on this potential destination, and of course, it’s somewhat due to the Gus Bradley connection. Additionally, Chargers Wire editor Gavino Borquez added that safety Jahleel Addae has struggled with angles, tackling and range at the position, which means Gipson would represent a major upgrade. Clearly, pairing him with Derwin James would work wonders and give their defense one of the best safety duos in football.
As for their cap situation, they have just over $22 million available, so like the 49ers, they could take on Gipson’s contract with no modifications for 2019 if they wanted.
Seattle Seahawks
After mentioning all of Carroll’s disciples, it was only a matter before his team came up, too. As most aware, it looks as though they are going to lose Earl Thomas who is over the organization and they’ll need a replacement who can do similar things. Replacing the star safety won’t be an easy task and one would think the organization would prefer a veteran at the role as opposed to a rookie.
All that said, Seattle is fine in terms of cap space and have all of their draft picks, so it appears they would definitely be open to a trade.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have been heavily associated with Thomas because he’s openly said he’d love to play for his hometown team. He’s also said that he won’t give them a hometown discount so that means Gipson would be a cheaper option.
Like the Chargers, the Cowboys have all of their draft picks and shouldn’t have a problem with forking over a fifth-round selection to the Jags. For a team who is just a player or two from Super Bowl contention, that would especially be a small price to pay as Gipson would offer an upgrade over starting free safety Xavier Woods.
