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Jaguars, OL Patrick Mekari Agree To Deal

March 10th, 2025 at 2:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars continue to renovate on offense today. The team’s latest move will see a notable addition up front. Patrick Mekari has agreed to a deal in Jacksonville, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. This will be a three-year pact with a base value of $37.5MM and a max of $39MM. Mekari will collect more than $20MM guaranteed.

The Ravens will miss Mekari, who had spent five of the last six years as an indispensable sixth-man on the offensive line. An undrafted free agent out of Cal, Mekari made himself an impressive asset in Baltimore thanks to his versatile ability to play every position along the offensive front. Despite not becoming a full-time starter for the Ravens until this past year, Mekari tallied 36 starts in his first five seasons. Not only that, but Mekari also started games at every position on the offensive line, an unheard-of accomplishment in today’s NFL.

This past season, Mekari started every game of the season for the first time in his career, though he still did so for two different positions. Mekari started the first three games of the season at right tackle as the Ravens attempted to ease second-round pick Roger Rosengarten into his rookie year. When it became apparent that Andrew Vorhees was struggling at left guard early, Mekari shifted inside and to the other side of the line and started there for the remainder of the season. While Pro Football Focus (subscription required) only graded him out as the 51st-best guard in the league, out of 77 players graded at the position, his ability to step in and start at any position — center, guard, tackle on the right or left side — was what made him so valuable as a free agent.

The Jaguars had some holes to fill on the interior of their offensive line with the retirement of center Mitch Morse and the expiration of right guard Brandon Scherff‘s contract. They likely won’t need Mekari to fill in at center, a position he started frequently during his early years in the league, as they’ve reached an agreement today with former Bucs center Robert Hainsey. Likely Mekari will fill Scherff’s old spot at right guard, though his noted versatility will give Jacksonville plenty of options in utilizing him.

As for the Ravens, Mekari’s departure will likely give Vorhees another chance at the starting job. Free agency has depleted Baltimore of its other backup linemen as both backup guard Ben Cleveland and backup tackle Josh Jones are set to join Mekari in free agency. The offensive line could be a focus of the team in the 2025 NFL Draft, though they could decide to address the position through free agency, as well.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Jaguars To Sign TE Hunter Long

March 10th, 2025 at 2:27pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars remain busy on the opening day of the negotiating window. Tight end Hunter Long is the latest free agent to agree to head to Jacksonville.

Long has a two-year deal in place, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. The pact has a base value of $5MM and can max out at $6MM. The veteran will represent a familiar face to Jags GM James Gladstone given Long’s time with the Rams.

Gladstone was in Les Snead‘s front office when the team acquired Long in the Jalen Ramsey trade. While Liam Coen was back at Kentucky (OC stint No. 2) at this point, Gladstone will bring the former Dolphins draftee back to Florida. Long, whom the Dolphins included along with a third-round pick to acquire Ramsey in March 2023, missed most of 2023 but was part of the Rams’ run game last season.

Catching seven passes with the Rams last year, Long only has eight grabs for his career. He provided more value as a blocker, ranking in the top 10 (per Pro Football Focus) among tight ends in the run game.

The Jaguars have moved on from a three-year Evan Engram partnership, creating a need for receiving production at the position, and lost Luke Farrell to the 49ers today. But they will bring in Long as a supporting-caster on an offense that will need some retooling after several skill-position players were shown the door over the past week.

Jaguars, S Eric Murray Agree To Deal; Team To Add WR Dyami Brown

March 10th, 2025 at 2:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars have used Monday to line up a pair of offensive additions, but they are also making moves on defense. Safety Eric Murray is joining Jacksonville.

Team and player have agreed to a three-year, $22.5MM deal, as first reported by NFL Network’s Maurice Jones-Drew. The contract includes $12MM in guarantees. After a five-year run in Houston, Murray will remain in the AFC South.

In addition to the Murray agreement, a deal is also in place with Dyami Brown. The former Commanders wideout is signing a one-year pact, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Brown – whose rookie contract has expired – has secured a $10MM deal worth up to $12MM.

The Jaguars have made significant changes to their skill-position corps since Liam Coen arrived, cutting Evan Engram, Devin Duvernay and Josh Reynolds and trading Christian Kirk. Brown qualifies as a potential-over-production addition, as he has one season with more than 300 receiving yards — 308 in 2024. Washington did not see too much from the 2021 third-round pick, but Jacksonville will take what amounts to a semi-expensive flier.

Brown is heading into an age-26 season, and the Jags will certainly need to see more from him to justify this one-year payment. The team did not see its $13MM-per-year deal for Gabriel Davis amount to much last season, putting some pressure on the ex-Bills WR2 now that a new regime is running the show. Brown will step in as a complementary piece behind Davis and Brian Thomas Jr.

Murray has come back after multiple one-year contracts near the league minimum. This deal tops what the Texans gave him (three years, $18MM) back in 2020; the five-year Houston contributor — after playing for $2.5MM in 2023 and $1.75MM last season — has scored a massive raise. Murray did so despite going into an age-31 season. But as the Texans slid Jalen Pitre to the nickel spot, Murray moved into a starting role once again.

The former Chiefs fourth-rounder made 75 tackles and intercepted one pass during a season that produced a No. 54 overall safety grade from Pro Football Focus. The Jags lost Andre Cisco to the Jets on Monday; Murray’s contract will make him a clear candidate to replace him.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post

Jags To Sign Nick Mullens, Johnny Mundt

March 10th, 2025 at 1:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Grant Udinski made the move from Minnesota to Jacksonville as the team’s new offensive coordinator. A pair of former Vikings are following him to the Jags.

Quarterback Nick Mullens has a Jacksonville deal in place, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. This will be a two-year pact worth $6.5MM. Mullens will collect $3MM guaranteed as Trevor Lawrence‘s new backup.

The Jags are also inking tight end Johnny Mundt, per Garafolo’s colleague Tom Pelissero. His deal is also two years in length and it is worth $5.5MM. Mundt, along with Mullens, will look to have success in continuing to work with Udinski in Duval County.

Following Jacksonville’s new OC from Minnesota, Mullens joins the Jags after spending three years as a backup. Mullens played behind Kirk Cousins for two seasons and Sam Darnold for one, receiving some starting chances when Cousins suffered an Achilles tear midway through the 2023 season. Mullens, 30 later this month, has made 20 career starts — most of them coming as a Jimmy Garoppolo fill-in with the 49ers.

The former San Francisco UDFA is 5-15 as a starter, but he carries a career 8.0 yards-per-attempt figure and a 65.8% completion rate. Mullens went 0-3 as a starter in place of Cousins in 2023, having replaced Joshua Dobbs as the latter’s momentum faded, but Minnesota retained him to play behind Darnold following J.J. McCarthy‘s meniscus tear. When the Vikings added Daniel Jones to the practice squad, he never usurped Mullens as the backup. After the Vikes activated Jones, he did not dress for their wild-card game over Mullens.

Mundt, 30, treks to Jacksonville and will join Hunter Long as TEs added in the wake of the Evan Engram release. Like Long, Mundt has not made his bones as a receiver. Mundt has yet to catch 20 passes in a season or eclipse 200 yards. Both Mundt and Mullens are older than the Jags’ new OC, who is 28.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Jaguars To Sign CB Jourdan Lewis

March 10th, 2025 at 12:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

After eight years with the Cowboys, Jourdan Lewis is on the move. The veteran slot corner has a deal in place with the Jaguars, Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Peter Schrager of NFL Network report.

This will be a three-year deal worth $30MM, Rapoport notes. Lewis will receive $20MM guaranteed and $12.5MM in 2025. The pact continues a recent trend regarding the upward movement in the slot corner market. For Lewis, this is a massive pay bump; he was tied to a one-year deal worth $2.83MM last season.

Lewis is leaving Dallas after eight seasons, disbanding the team’s CB trio that has placed DaRon Bland on the perimeter opposite Trevon Diggs. The Cowboys have been unable to keep that troika healthy all at once, with Bland having previously replaced Lewis after he suffered a career-threatening foot injury. Lewis made it back from that malady in 2023 and has played 16 games in each of the past two seasons.

The slot market now includes eight-figure AAVs for a handful of players, including Kenny Moore, Taron Johnson and Michael Carter. Lewis and Nate Hobbs (Packers) rounded out the group Monday, as the cap’s $24MM spike has impacted this undervalued position. Pro Football Focus graded Lewis 29th last season, one spot in front of Moore, as he has displayed good health after the 2022 foot setback.

The Jags will pay the going rate for Lewis despite the former Cowboys third-rounder heading into his age-30 season. Moore, Johnson, Carter and Hobbs were each younger when they signed for eight figures on average. It will be interesting to see if Lewis can sustain his solid play in Jacksonville into his early 30s, as cornerback primes tend to run shorter than their receiver counterparts’.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/25

March 8th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are Saturday’s tender decisions around the league:

RFAs

Tendered:

Williams and Kohou have received the right of first refusal tender from their respective teams. That will set them up for $3.26MM in 2025, but if they depart via an offer sheet Chicago and Miami will not receive any compensation. Van Lanen has received the original round tender (which is valued at $3.41MM), as noted by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. As a result, Jacksonville would receive a sixth-round pick as compensation in the event he signed an offer sheet from an interested team which the Jags declined to match.

Jaguars Release TE Evan Engram, WR Devin Duvernay

March 7th, 2025 at 2:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 7: The Jags have announced the Engram and Reynolds releases. This will mean Engram cannot be designated a post-June 1 cut. While the eight-year veteran is free to sign with any team now, the Jags will take on more dead money as a result of making him a standard release.

MARCH 6: A Jacksonville skill-position purge will continue with two more veterans. Following the team’s intra-division Christian Kirk trade, Evan Engram and Devin Duvernay are also out.

The Jags are releasing the veteran tight end and All-Pro return man, ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero respectively report. One season remained on Engram’s extension, which was signed after the Jags franchise-tagged him in 2023.

Count Josh Reynolds among the skill-player cap casualties as well, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. The Jags had claimed Reynolds off waivers from the Broncos late last season. This release will save the Jags $4.26MM, as they had taken Reynolds’ two-year, $9MM contract from the Broncos.

If the Jaguars are moving on from Engram via a standard release, they would take on $13.5MM in dead money. If they wait to officially cut the former first-rounder on March 12 and give him a post-June 1 release designation, the team would be tagged with just $4MM in 2025 dead cap and would save $15.5MM in cap room. Engram, 30, was due to count $19.49MM on Jacksonville’s 2025 cap — the second-highest total on the team’s payroll.

The Duvernay release will save the Jags $2.7MM this year. Jacksonville added Duvernay last March, doing so as it signed Gabe Davis as well. Davis did not live up to his $13MM-per-year contract in his first season, but he is the only veteran skill player left standing after this week’s moves. While the team is prepared to build around Brian Thomas Jr., it will need to fill out some spots alongside the blossoming first-rounder.

Given the tag over Jawaan Taylor in 2023, Engram signed a three-year, $41.25MM extension. That deal called for a $14.75MM 2025 base salary. Three void years tacked onto the end of it will bring the dead money, which would stretch to 2026 if the Jags make Engram a post-June cut. This could certainly make Engram the top tight end on the market, one that includes the likes of Mike Gesicki, Juwan Johnson and Tyler Conklin.

A 2017 Giants first-round pick, Engram has a Pro Bowl (2020) on his resume but became more consistent with the Jags. He twice set the franchise record for receiving yards by a tight end, accumulating 766 in 2022 and then 963 in ’23. Engram was not a strong red zone option for Trevor Lawrence, but the now-well-paid QB peppered him with targets. Engram caught 114 passes in 2023; only Jimmy Smith‘s 1999 featured more receptions (116) by a Jaguar.

Even as Engram scored only nine touchdowns in three seasons and is heading into his age-31 season, he should be in line for a starting job elsewhere soon. The Jags have given him a few days to beat the market. This release does come after Engram closed last season on IR with a labrum tear; he totaled 365 receiving yards in nine games.

Duvernay, 27, arrived during an offseason that saw the departures of Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones. The Jags had attempted to re-sign Ridley, being outbid by the Titans, before releasing Jones. In 2023, the team had deployed four veteran skill-player contracts around Lawrence’s rookie deal. They are now down to one (Davis’), and the ex-Bills WR2 totaled just 239 receiving yards last season.

Known more for his return-game skills than at receiver, Duvernay caught 11 passes for 79 yards in 2024. The two-time Ravens Pro Bowler served as the Jags’ kickoff and punt returner, leaving more jobs open amid this transition. Reynolds, 29, caught just one pass in four games as a Jaguar. He does have two 600-plus-yard seasons on his resume — including the 2023 season in Detroit — but has now been cut twice since December.

Kirk and Engram both had signed with the Jags in 2022, with each helping Lawrence after a woeful rookie season. Kirk is Houston-bound, while Engram — who has five seasons of at least 575 yards on his resume — should find a new home soon. The Jags have moved past $40MM in cap space with these moves and will be on the lookout for new Thomas supporting-casters soon.

Jaguars, Texans Agree To Christian Kirk Trade

March 6th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

Christian Kirk will not be released after all. The Jaguars are moving on from the veteran wideout, but they will do so via trade instead.

Kirk is heading to the Texans, as first reported by Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Houston will send Jacksonville a 2026 seventh-round pick, she adds. Kirk will not hit the market as a result, and he will continue his career on a new AFC South team.

[RELATED: Jaguars To Cut Evan Engram, Devin Duvernay, Josh Reynolds]

One year remains on the 28-year-old’s contract, a factor which helped inform the Jags’ decision to move on. This swap will generate $10.44MM in cap savings while incurring a dead money charge of $13.65MM. Kirk is owed a $15.5MM salary for 2025, but he could work out a new deal upon arrival in Houston.

The Texans entered 2024 with high expectations at the receiver position. Nico Collins, Tank Dell and trade acquisition Stefon Diggs figured to give the team one of the league’s top WR trios. Diggs suffered an ACL tear midway through the season and Dell later did the same, however. The latter’s availability for 2025 is in question.

Diggs is a pending free agent, so the chance of a departure on his part along with Dell’s injury status made the Texans a team to watch regarding a notable wideout addition. Prior to the Combine, it became clear Houston would be open to re-signing Diggs, but this move increasingly points toward him at least testing the market next week. In any case, Kirk will be tasked with operating as a strong complementary option to Collins in 2025.

After playing out his rookie contract with the Cardinals, Kirk inked a four-year pact to head to Jacksonville. The $18MM AAV of that deal raised many eyebrows at the time, but the receiver market has since seen two major spikes as the NFL’s salary cap continues to grow rapidly. If the former second-rounder aims to secure a raise with his new team, though, he could be hard-pressed in that effort.

Kirk logged a full season in 2022, but his Jaguars follow-up was limited to only 12 games. This past season, the Texas A&M product suffered a broken collarbone which sidelined him after eight contests. That injury left him off the midseason trade market, which was notable since the Steelers reportedly reached agreement on a swap prior to the injury. In the wake of the missed time, the Jags’ new regime will move in a different direction while looking to build a receiving corps around Trevor Lawrence.

That process will no doubt lean heavily on Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist Brian Thomas Jr., but WR will be a position to watch for Jacksonville this offseason. A number of high-profile wideouts are on track to reach the market, including some veterans (Davante Adams, Tyler Lockett) who have recently been cut. Kirk will not be on that list, as his 2025 situation has already been determined.

C Mitch Morse Retires

March 6th, 2025 at 10:14am CST by Adam La Rose

Mitch Morse‘s career has come to an end after 10 seasons in the NFL. The veteran center announced his retirement on Thursday.

“The things I’ll cherish most about my career are the relationships and bonds I created with my teammates, both on and off of the field,” Morse wrote. “Nothing can replace that, and I will miss it dearly.”

A Chiefs second-round pick in 2015, Morse took on immediate starting duties upon arrival in Kansas City. That remained the case throughout his four-year tenure with the team, one which was marked in 2017 and ’18 by missed time due to injury. During his first trip to free agency, Morse inked a four-year deal with the Bills.

That pact allowed the Missouri product to continue operating as a key figure up front. Morse was a mainstay along the Bills’ O-line during his time with the team, and he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2022. A two-year deal was worked out in the wake of that success, but Morse only played one more year in Buffalo. Last offseason, he was one of several veterans the team released as part of its efforts to reset from a financial perspective.

Morse drew interest on the market, and he did not need to wait long to find a new home. The Jaguars signed him to a two-year pact, and in his debut campaign in Jacksonville Morse started all 17 games. $1.5MM in guarantees remained on his pact for the 2025 season, but he will walk away from that money to begin his post-playing days. Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald notes this decision will save the Jags $2.2MM (presuming it is processed immediately).

Morse made a combined 156 appearances between the regular and postseason during his career; he started all of them. Thanks in large part to his Bills contracts, his career earnings stand at just over $65MM.

Jaguars To Release WR Christian Kirk

March 5th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Sam Robinson

Yet another experienced receiver will be available to teams in free agency. The Jaguars are cutting ties with Christian Kirk, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports. One season remained on Kirk’s contract.

Although Kirk suffered a broken collarbone midway through last season, he had served as Trevor Lawrence‘s top target for most his Jags tenure. As the team transitions to new HC Liam Coen, it will save $10.44MM by releasing Kirk.

While many of the experienced wideouts in this year’s free agent class are over 30, Kirk is 28. The former Cardinals second-rounder is heading into his age-29 season and should draw interest as a bounce-back candidate. Excelling in the slot in Jacksonville, Kirk posted an 1,108-yard season in 2022, helping the Jags to the playoffs and silencing some skeptics that expressed shock at the four-year, $72MM deal he inked that year.

Kirk’s $18MM-per-year deal helped ignite a surge on the receiver market. The Jags pact preceded Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams blowing the top off the previous market, and young wideouts like A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf came in with deals between that tier and where Kirk landed. The bevy of WRs who have signed monster deals over the past three years may owe some gratitude to Kirk, who positioned himself for the payday by hitting the market at 25 on the heels of a near-1,000-yard Arizona season.

Injuries, however, will factor into Kirk’s second free agent market. Core muscle surgery sidelined him to close the Jaguars’ 2023 season. The five games Kirk missed that year played a major role in the franchise’s trajectory. The Jags were 8-3 but slunk to 9-8. After they went 4-13 last season, ownership fired Doug Pederson and eventually Trent Baalke. Coen is now the lead power broker in Jacksonville, with GM James Gladstone riding shotgun. That duo will build around a receiving corps headlined by Brian Thomas Jr., as the team has now moved on from Kirk and Calvin Ridley in a two-year span.

For a period, the Jags had three free agent wideouts (Kirk, Ridley and Zay Jones) and a tight end (Evan Engram) attached to an eight-figure AAV. The team has stripped its pass-catching corps of most of those contracts, as Lawrence is now attached to a $55MM-per-year salary. Kirk’s departure, however, will create a need opposite Thomas in Jacksonville. Fortunately for the team, there are many options. Davante Adams, Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins and Tyler Lockett headline the list. Marquise Brown, Josh Palmer, Darius Slayton and, should any team be up to the challenge of managing him after last year, Diontae Johnson are also among the available targets.

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