Mitch Morse Sounds Off on Jaguars Retirement

The Jacksonville Jaguars got a big boost on and off the field from Mitch Morse last fall, but Morse hung up his cleats earlier this offseason after just one season with the team.

Speaking on the Centered on Buffalo podcast, Morse went into detail for the first time on why exactly he was opting to walk away from his playing career.

As Morse would note, the idea to retire actually first occurred to him during the 2024 season instead of following it.

"I came to this decision midway through last year. Also, know that I'm prone to making these kind of huge moves in my mind and then kind of acting on them," Morse said

"So I thought maybe just take a second, and especially if you come to this conclusion in your mind, and then you're dead set on in season, they can start affecting your play and field. So I thought, let's just compartmentalize that, put that to the side. Know that it's something that you want to do, and then see what happens."

Once it was clear the Jaguars were going in a new direction this offseason with their brand-new hires, Morse was able to communicate his decision to the franchise.

"So kept playing, didn't change. Won a few games, didn't change. A new regime came in, didn't change. And then, and then they came to me and kind of asked if I was up for that culture shift Year 11," Morse said.

"And listen, dude, I had a blast in Jacksonville. Of course, professionally wasn't what we wanted to be, but there was a lot of good the people, the camaraderie, the support staff, the coaching, just didn't work out, dude, and it doesn't wasn't because we didn't work hard, or try hard, or care about each other."

The Jaguars were proactive to replace Morse this offseason, quickly signing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Robert Hainsey in free agency. Hainsey spent the 2024 season with new head coach Liam Coen in Tampa Bay and will be expected to step into a starting role at center right away.

"He was really one of the voices in that room that I thought stood out all the way through and consistent as a leader, and as somebody that does things the right way, communicates at a high level, and when he does get on the field, plays his a** off," Coen said earlier this month at the annual league meetings.

"That's what he's done. Obviously, worked with Robert for the last year, really feel strongly about his leadership, the communication, and when he played for us this year against the Saints, go and watch that tape and you could see he was playing to prove it."