For the second year in a row, the Jaguars and Vikings have struck a deal to acquire an offensive lineman before the trade deadline. Cam Robinson will replace Christian Darrisaw.
The Vikings will act quickly. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that the Jaguars are acquiring the longtime left tackle in exchange for unspecified draft compensation. This came a year after the Jags acquired Ezra Cleveland from the Vikings. The terms of the transaction are as follows:
Vikings will receive:
Robinson conditional 2026 7th round pick
Jaguar receives:
Conditional 2026 5th round pick
According to Ben Gosling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Jaguars’ No. 5 player in 2026 could be upgraded to No. 4 depending on playing time. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter added that the conditional No. 7 the Vikings are acquiring could also be removed from the trade based on playing time.
This marks the end of Robinson’s eight seasons in Jacksonville. However, the former second-round pick is in the middle of his contract year and is not a candidate for the franchise tag. Like Kirk Cousins, Robinson has earned the tag twice and is well on his way to free agency. The trade makes Robinson a permanent rental, with Darrisaw expected to reclaim the blindside post in 2025. But in the short term, the 5-2 Vikings will have Robinson ready to protect Sam Darnold’s blindside.
It’s not always common for starting left tackles to be available at the deadline, and Doug Pederson is expected to see more sell-off trades following the Jags’ agreement to send Roy Robertson-Harris to the Seahawks. They were pouring cold water on them. However, the Jags fell to 2-6 and lost Christian Kirk for the season in their most recent loss. Jacksonville also has LT insurance on Walker Little, who is also in the middle of his contract year.
Tuesday’s agreement clearly shows that the Vikings believe they have a competitive team despite the losing streak, as they just signed Darrisaw to a contract extension at a market-high rate. Darrisaw signed a four-year, $104 million deal to stay in Minnesota long-term, but he won’t rejoin the Vikes’ on-field equation until next season. The fourth-year blocker went down with an unknown knee injury in Week 8 and will require season-ending surgery. The Vikings have already played a role in losing their top O-lineman with one loss, and the team will likely take advantage of Darrisaw’s opportunity. If an injury occurs before the trade deadline.
Robinson, 29, has been the Jags’ starting LT since his rookie season. He has a three-year, $52.75 million extension, which was agreed to during the second offseason of his franchise deal. The deal does not involve any restructuring and maintains Robinson’s base salary in 2024 at $16.25 million. There’s about $9 million left on that contract, but the Jaguars will likely pick up some of the eighth-year blocker. The Vikings entered Tuesday with $9.5 million in cap space.
Robinson has started 91 career games, including seven of the Jags’ eight games this season. Pro Football Focus ranks the Alabama product 32nd among tackles this season. Darrisaw was ranked 10th before the injury. Robinson doesn’t have Pro Bowl experience on his resume and isn’t considered to be at Darrisaw’s level, but he was tagged twice and did well enough to earn a top spot. However, Darrisaw’s payday helped move Robinson down the position list. Robinson entered this season as the 10th highest paid LT in the NFL.
The Jags are moving on from both Robinson and four-year RT starter Ja’Wuan Taylor after two years. Jacksonville teamed up with Evan Engram instead of Taylor in 2023, putting him on the path to a huge contract with the Chiefs, but it didn’t pan out. The Jags selected Anton Harrison in the first round of the 2023 draft and he has been playing right tackle. It will be interesting to see how the sudden sellers move forward at the position as Little, a draft prospect from the Urban Meyer era, fulfills his second-round contract. But Little, who has started 18 games in his career (most of them in place of injured or suspended Robinson), will have a chance to increase his value as a free agent later this season.
Robinson missed the Jags’ 2022 divisional round appearance due to a torn meniscus and was suspended for four games last summer due to PEDs. Robinson also suffered another knee injury last season that resulted in a stint on IR. Recent injuries pose a risk for the Vikings, but the trade market isn’t brimming with quality LTs, so Minnesota will be rolling the dice on whether Robinson can stay healthy. .
The Jags remained buyers at the 2023 deadline, so they only needed to spend a sixth-round pick to acquire Cleveland. Jacksonville then re-signed Cleveland before the legal tampering period. Robinson is on track for its first market launch. He will need to excel in a new scheme to solidify his position as one of the top options on the free agency market in 2025. Before that, the veteran will look to help the Vikings in the loaded NFC North.
