JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dante Fowler's stay in Jacksonville is over.
The Jaguars are trading their former first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams
🚨🚨🚨 TRADE 🚨🚨🚨
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) October 30, 2018
We have traded DE Dante Fowler to the Rams in exchange for a 2019 third-round pick and a 2020 fifth-round pick. pic.twitter.com/WnlXRwkpr9
The Jaguars declined to pick up Fowler's fifth-year option this past off-season, saying, at the time, “We do like Dante and we feel that he’s on the verge of having a great season, but we did not pick up the fifth-year option at this time," said Jaguars EVP of Football Operations Tom Coughlin. "He is making good progress and we like how he practices and how he plays, as he did in the AFC Championship game, and we want him to have a great season and earn a new long-term contract with us this year.”
Instead of performing in a contract year, Fowler began 2018 by being suspended during training camp and recording only two sacks and eight tackles in seven games with the Jaguars. According to Football Outsiders, Fowler played 147 snaps in seven regular season games this season, just five snaps more than rookie Taven Bryan.
News4Jax sports analyst Mark Brunell weighed in on the move saying, "Certainly not a surprise Dante Fowler getting traded to the Rams. Probably had more to do with off field issues than anything else. The Jags get a couple of picks in 2019 and 2020 and Dante gets to play for the undefeated Rams. Everyone wins."
In his career, Fowler, the third overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, appeared in 39 games, recording 14 sacks, including eight in 2017. He also picked up two sacks in the AFC championship game against New England.
The Jaguars now have seven picks in the 2019 draft, including two third-round picks and no fifth round pick. The team has eight picks in the 2020 draft.