Jaguars Won’t Pursue High-Priced QBs
The Jaguars are “pretty much done” with their quarterback search, head coach Doug Marrone told Adam Schein of SiriusXM (Twitter link). Marrone didn’t specifically address questions about Cam Newton, but it sounds like the Jaguars won’t be in the mix for the former MVP. 
[RELATED: Jaguars To Sign QB Mike Glennon]
The Jaguars signed Mike Glennon earlier this month, giving them three quarterbacks behind presumptive starter Gardner Minshew. They’ve also got Joshua Dobbs – Ben Roethlisberger‘s one-time backup – and sixth-round rookie Jake Luton on hand. That leaves little room for Newton, despite all of his career accomplishments.
Early on in his free agency, Newton was set on being a starter. Now, he’s eased his expectations. Newton is reportedly willing to sign on as someone’s backup QB, though he might not be willing to completely slash his asking price. Earlier this spring, former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston signed with the Saints on a one-year deal with a paltry base salary of $1.1MM. We have a hard time imagining Newton – who has made $100MM+ over the years – doing the same.
With four QBs on hand, the Jaguars are content with what they have. That means they won’t be in the mix for Newton or Joe Flacco. And, it probably goes without saying, but they won’t make a play for old friend Blake Bortles either.
Jaguars To Cut DL Carl Davis
Barely a month after re-signing Carl Davis, the Jaguars plan to cut him. The Jags will part ways with the veteran defensive lineman, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
Davis signed a one-year, $1.1MM deal with the Jags in early April. However, the five-year veteran will not be available until Week 5. The NFL handed him a four-game suspension in February for violating its performance-enhancing drug policy.
The former Ravens third-round pick caught on with the Jaguars last season, playing in two games. Davis has not suited up for more than five games in a season since 2017, when he started nine with the Ravens. The Iowa product has since spent time with the Browns, Colts and Jags.
Although the Jaguars traded Calais Campbell to the Ravens and have seen Yannick Ngakoue attempt to force a tag-and-trade scenario, they devoted key draft resources to the group by using a first-round pick on LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson in Round 1 selecting Davon Hamilton in Round 3.
Jaguars To Sign QB Mike Glennon
The Jaguars will sign quarterback Mike Glennon, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
Glennon, a veteran signal caller, will sit behind Gardner Minshew on Jacksonville’s depth chart. He’ll offer a safety net – not just for injuries, but also for potential hiccups. Minshew, a 2019 sixth-round pick, showed some serious potential last year, but the mustachioed magic cooled over time. All in all, the soon-to-be 24-year-old performed well as he stepped in for Nick Foles – first for injury, then for performance reasons. In 14 games, Minshew threw for 3,271 yards and 21 touchdowns against six interceptions.
For Glennon, this marks a return to the Sunshine State. The former Buccaneers passer will have a chance to see his old friends when they square off in the preseason this summer.
Glennon profiled as one of the best veteran quarterbacks left on the market, even if he wasn’t the most accomplished of the bunch. Cam Newton and Joe Flacco are still looking for work; ditto for Blake Bortles, the former No. 3 overall pick of the Jaguars.
Glennon, entering his eighth year in the league, came into the NFL as a third-round choice of the Bucs in 2013. After signing a lucrative and ill-fated free agent deal with the Bears in 2017, he hooked on with the Cardinals in 2018. Last year, he joined up with the Raiders and lobbed a grand total of ten passes. For his career, the 6’6″ vet owns a 6-16 record as a starter.
Jaguars Plan To Keep Leonard Fournette
Dave Caldwell admitted to discussing Leonard Fournette in trades during the draft. But the eighth-year Jaguars GM expects Fournette to be back with the Jags this season.
“There were just some minor discussions with that but nothing substantial throughout the draft or prior to the draft,” Caldwell said during an appearance on the #PFTPM podcast (via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith). “I think the mindset is that we’re going to go forward with Leonard on the team. I had a good talk with him on Friday. I know (Doug) Marrone has had some discussion with him. He seems to be in great shape and mental frame of mind, and we feel that he’ll have a great season this year.”
The Jaguars are believed to have begun shopping Fournette well before the draft, but strong interest did not emerge. The Jags discussed deals with the Dolphins and Bucs during the draft. Both teams went in different directions, with Miami trading for Matt Breida and Tampa Bay drafting Vanderbilt’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn in Round 3.
Fournette is set to make $4.1MM in fully guaranteed base salary this season. His contract contains no offset language. The Jags declined the former No. 4 overall pick’s fifth-year option. Although Fournette totaled a career-high 1,674 yards from scrimmage last season, the Jaguars hired a new OC in Jay Gruden.
Jacksonville signed former Gruden passing-down back Chris Thompson but has little depth behind Fournette. The team has 2019 fifth-rounder Ryquell Armstead, who averaged just 3.1 yards per carry as a rookie, and UDFA rookies behind its three-year starter.
Jaguars Sign DE/LB Aaron Lynch
Aaron Lynch is heading to Florida. The Jaguars announced that they’ve signed the defensive end/linebacker. It’s a one-year deal, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
The 2014 fifth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers, and he compiled 12.5 sacks through his first two seasons in the NFL. Suspensions and injuries limited him to only 14 games between 2016 and 2017, and he moved on to Chicago in 2018.
The veteran has spent the past two seasons with the Bears, collecting 22 tackles and five sacks in 29 games (three starts).
Lynch will provide the Jaguars with a rotational pass-rusher, and he could be in for a bigger role if the front office finds a taker for Yannick Ngakoue.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/20
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: RB Marcus Murphy
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: RB Jeremy McNichols
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: TE Alize Mack, RB Mike Weber
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: OT Josh Wells
Wells is returning to Tampa Bay on a one-year deal, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Wells spent the 2019 campaign with the Bucs, starting two of his 13 games. He previously spent five seasons with the Jaguars, appearing in 39 games (nine starts).
Murphy had a solid run with the Bills back in 2018, rushing for 250 yards on 52 carries. After getting cut by Buffalo prior to the 2019 regular season, Murphy didn’t find a deal until inking a futures contract with the Panthers in December.
McNichols, a 2017 fifth-round pick, has four career carries. He’s spent time with seven organizations during his career.
Jaguars To Decline Leonard Fournette’s Fifth-Year Option
Despite Leonard Fournette‘s two 1,000-yard seasons, the Jaguars will not pick up his fifth-year option, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
This is not a major surprise when considering the team shopped its three-year running back starter in trades. The Jags discussed Fournette deals with at least two teams — the Buccaneers and Dolphins — and began shopping him over a month ago.
Fournette’s option would cost the Jags north of $8MM. He is set to earn $4.16MM in 2020, what is now the final year of his rookie contract. Because Fournette was chosen in the top 10 three years ago, his option price comes in $3MM higher than it would have if he were a non-top-10 running back.
Thus far, the Jags have received tepid trade interest in Fournette. The former LSU running back has enjoyed an up-and-down tenure in Jacksonville. He has two 1,000-yard seasons but also missed eight games in 2018 — a year in which he averaged just 54.9 yards per game — and due to injury and a suspension. Fournette is, however, coming off his best season. He recorded 1,674 yards from scrimmage — 522 of which coming through the air.
Fournette was the first running back chosen in 2017. The Jags used their top pick in that draft on him, despite Blake Bortles coming off a down season and both Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes on the board. Now, it’s uncertain if Fournette will play another down in Jacksonville. The Jags did not draft a running back but did sign ex-Redskins passing-down back Chris Thompson on Friday. Thompson, 2019 fifth-rounder Ryquell Armstead (3.1 yards per carry as a rookie) and a host of UDFAs comprise Jacksonville’s running back depth chart beyond Fournette.
Jaguars To Sign RB Chris Thompson
The Jaguars are set to sign Chris Thompson, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The deal will reunite the running back with his former head coach Jay Gruden, who now serves as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator. 
When he was healthy, Thompson was a strong pass-catching specialist out of the backfield for the Redskins. And, in an admittedly limited sample size, he was effective on the ground, too.
The former fifth-round pick enjoyed a breakout season in 2017, his fifth year as a pro. That year, he caught 39 passes for 510 yards, good for 13.1 yards per grab. Unfortunately, that campaign ended in November, thanks to a fractured fibula. For his career, Thompson’s averaged 4.8 yards per tote, though he’s never logged more than 68 carries in any single season.
The Redskins liked him enough to give him a two-year, $7MM extension under Gruden’s watch and he’ll get a chance to work for him in Jacksonville. For now, the Jaguars are forging ahead with Leonard Fournette as their primary back; Thompson could be an option to spell him and keep defenders on their toes.
Jaguars Won’t Rule Out QB Signing
Even while offering his support to Gardner Minshew, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone admitted that he’s still keeping an eye out for experienced quarterbacks. 
[RELATED: Bengals Release Andy Dalton]
“He’s our QB there’s no doubt about it..but one of the things we’re doing, we’re still looking to make sure we’re upgraded at each position,” Marrone told Peter Schrager of NFL Network (Twitter link). “There are some vets out there we might look at to bring in.”
One of those vets could be Andy Dalton, the longtime Bengals starter who was released by the club on Thursday. Jaguars offensive coordinator Jay Gruden got the best out of Dalton when he was Cincinnati’s head coach and he’d be a logical fit as Minshew’s safety net.
Of course, given Minshew’s up-and-down track record, a new veteran in Jacksonville could potentially take the reins. Dalton, for his part, is looking for an opportunity to start. Already, the Jaguars – and Patriots – have reportedly discussed Dalton. At the same time, the Bengals didn’t get a whole lot of interest from the Jags when they discussed Dalton in the past.
Minshew was thrust into the starting job when Nick Foles suffered a broken collarbone. Then, when Foles couldn’t get the job done in back-to-back blowout losses, Minshew was restored as the QB1 in December.
Patriots, Jaguars Interested In Andy Dalton
The Patriots and Jaguars are among the teams with interest in former Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, a source tells Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
The news of Dalton’s release in Cincinnati only came to light this morning, but it appears the veteran signal-caller already has suitors. No team stepped up to trade for Dalton and his $17.7MM base salary, but he shouldn’t want for interest now that he’s available at, presumably, a much lower financial cost.
New England, for its part, only has 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and free agent addition Brian Hoyer in its quarterback room. Stidham is in line to replace Tom Brady, but it would make sense for the club to add more competition. Head coach Bill Belichick recently said the Patriots’ decision not to draft a passer in the 2020 draft was “not by design,” so it doesn’t appear New England has ruled out bringing in another quarterback.
In Jacksonville, Gardner Minshew will fully take the reins as the Jaguars’ starter in 2020, but Dalton could push the 2019 sixth-rounder if signed. Dalton did some of his best work in Cincinnati under offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who now holds the same title in Jacksonville.
Indeed, the Bengals did shop Dalton to the Jaguars on more than one occasion, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link), but Jacksonville didn’t express much interest. Of course, Dalton’s salary may have played a role in the Jaguars’ view, and they could be eyeing Dalton now that he’s available for a cheaper price.