Not long after being connected to a Jaguars deal, Mitch Morse is indeed headed to Duval County. The Pro Bowl center is joining Jacksonville on a two-year, $10.5M deal, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The contract includes $7M guaranteed.
The Steelers made an “aggressive push” to land Morse, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds. That comes as little surprise given the events since Morse was let go as part of the Bills’ cap purge. Pittsburgh and Jacksonville were the teams that hosted the 31-year-old on a free-agent visit recently, and the latter squad has won out.
Morse will now once again play under head coach Doug Pederson after he served as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator during Morse’s time in Kansas City. The latter parlayed his four-year Chiefs run into a four-year, $44.45M deal with Buffalo. Morse ultimately signed a two-year extension in 2022, but he was released with one year remaining on that deal during the Bills’ efforts to attain cap compliance.
To little surprise, the 126-game starter has not needed to wait long to find a new opportunity. Morse will replace Luke Fortner as Jacksonville’s starter in the middle. The latter had occupied that role over the past two seasons, starting every game while not missing any action. Fortner graded out as PFF’s second-worst center in 2023, however, leaving room for an upgrade. Especially on a short-term deal (and, of course, if he can remain healthy), Morse should be able to provide that.
Jacksonville has made a few notable moves along the interior of the O-line recently. Left guard Ezra Cleveland, acquired at the 2023 trade deadline from the Vikings, was retained on a three-year deal which prevented the possibility of a free-agent departure. Right guard starter Brandon Scherff had his contract restructured yesterday, meanwhile, putting an end to speculation about his immediate future. That guard tandem will remain intact for 2024, with a new center in between them as Jacksonville aims to improve up front.
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