Tight end Evan Engram has been released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to multiple reports.
Jacksonville saves nearly $6 million by releasing Engram despite $13.5 million in dead money. The Jaguars now have $60 million in cap space, according to Sporac.com. Only six teams currently have more, although that could change in the days before free agency starts on March 12.
Team spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for confirmation.
The 30-year-old former first-round pick of the New York Giantshad 47 receptions for 365 yards last season, but managed only one touchdown across nine games.
A Georgia native who later starred at Ole Miss, Engram battled hamstring issues in 2024, causing him to miss four weeks early in the season. Although he did have a 10-catch, 102-yard performance on just 10 targets in an October loss to the Chicago Bears, Engram had had mixed results for the next seven weeks before suffering a season-ending torn labrum in Week 14.
Engram’s release comes ahead of what is expected to be a deep class of tight ends at next month’s NFL Draft. Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland are both expected to be taken in the first round, although several other intriguing options remain, such as Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr., Miami’s Elijah Arroyo, Texas’ Gunnar Helm and Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson.
Tight end Evan Engram has been released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to reports
Jacksonville Jaguars center Mitch Morse (65) warms up before an NFL football game in 2024
And that wasn’t the only news for the Jags on Thursday as center Mitch Morse announced his retirement following 10 seasons in the league.
Morse, 32, had one year remaining on a $10.5 million contract he signed a year ago in free agency. He would have counted $5.4 million against Jacksonville’s salary cap in 2025.
The Chiefs drafted Morse in the second round in 2015. He spent four seasons in Kansas City and five in Buffalo before landing in Jacksonville. He said wanting to play again for one of his former coaches, Doug Pederson, was a main reason he signed with the Jaguars.
Jacksonville fired Pederson in January and has since hired former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen as his replacement.
Now, the Jaguars are in desperate need of a center as they prepare for free agency next week. They drafted Luke Fortner in the third round in 2022 but brought in Morse to replace him as the weak link in their offensive line.
Jacksonville also could address the position with one of its 10 picks in next month’s NFL draft.
Morse’s departure could leave the Jaguars with two starting spots to fill on their O-line because veteran right guard Brandon Scherff is a free agent. They also need to replace receiver Christian Kirk, who is being traded to Houston. The deal can’t become official until the new league year begins next week.
Jacksonville traded receiver Christian Kirk to the Houston Texans for a seventh-round pick
The Jags also traded wide receiver Christian Kirk to the Houston Texans for a seventh-round pick.
On Wednesday, the Jaguars announced they would release Kirk when the NFL free agency period kicks off on March 12. They instead found an interested suitor in the Texans and proceeded with the trade.
Kirk, 28, had 379 receiving yards, 27 receptions and one touchdown in eight games last season before breaking his collarbone in Week 8. He missed the remainder of the season and enters the final year of his contract.
The 5-foot-11 wideout carries a $16.2 million cap hit in 2025 after signing a four-year, $72 million contract with the Jags in 2022. He recorded 84 catches, 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season with the team — all career highs — as Jacksonville won the AFC South.
He missed the final five games of the 2023 season with an oblique injury and the Jaguars didn’t meet offseason expectations in 2024, stumbling to a 4-13 record.
Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. led Jacksonville in receiving yards (1,282) and touchdowns (10) in 2024 – cracking the NFL’s top 10 in both categories. Gabe Davis, Parker Washington and Devin Duvernay are also on the depth chart as free agency and the NFL Draft approach.
However, the team released Josh Reynolds this week to clear an additional $4.3 million in cap space.