What lies ahead for Trent Edwards and David Garrard?
On Sunday, the Jaguars will travel to Houston to try and end their season on a strong note. A win gets them above .500 and with some luck potentially in the playoffs. A loss, and we officially have another December collapse on our hands. With the recent news that David Garrard will miss Sunday’s game, things have become more interesting.
Have we really seen the last of David Garrard as a Jaguar? Will Trent Edwards show the team something that will keep him around next year?
I believe David Garrard’s fate was sealed as he threw that pass into the air in Overtime vs Washington. As it landed into the arms of the Redskins defender, it seemed as if collectively Jaguar fans said “Enough!” The only consistent quality for Garrard has been inconsistency, and it seems that things have hit their breaking point.
The Jaguars have consistently talked about their desire to finally draft a QB in this draft and that should be the first clue that David is potentially on his way out.
Garrard will be owed somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-9 million dollars in salary if he is still on the roster next year. Even if the team wants the rookie QB to sit for a year, is paying David that kind of money to keep the seat warm really worth it? Trent Edwards or Luke McCown would provide much cheaper, and potentially just as viable, options.
All of Garrard’s guaranteed money has been paid out to him, so releasing him after this season wouldn’t cost the Jaguars a dime. That is a luxury few times have when it comes to a player with the salary Garrard has.
It is a shame that David couldn’t go out on a better note as a Jaguar, but it is the nature of the business.
As for Trent Edwards, Jaguar fans will finally get a chance to see how he can perform in the Jaguars’ offense. Don’t let the Monday Night game influence your judgment, considering he ran plays he had only seen in the playbook at that point.
Let me get this out of the way, I do not believe Trent Edwards is the Jags QB of the future. If Luke McCown hadn’t blown out his knee in San Diego, he wouldn’t be on the Jags roster to begin with. However, Sunday is his chance to shine for potential NFL suitors.
Depending on how the CBA ends up, the Jaguars should still have Edwards rights as a player. That should lead to one of two situations. Either the team will look to trade him before the draft, or he will become the “seat warmer” I talked about earlier.
