Veteran center Mitch Morse has agreed to a two-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars

After an 8-3 start to the 2023 season, the Jaguars collapsed. The team lost five of their last six games and missed out on the postseason. For the first three months of the season, it looked like Jacksonville would win their division. Sadly, that was not the case and the team is trying to address their weaknesses this offseason. 

Jacksonville’s starting QB is former #1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence. In his first three seasons, the Jaguars have failed to surround him with an overall dominant offensive line. The Jags have a few solid linemen but upgrades can still be made. That is why the team has agreed to terms with free agent center Mitch Morse. He was released last week by the Buffalo Bills after five seasons.

Mitch Morse has agreed to a two-year deal with the Jaguars for $10.5 million and $7 million guaranteed

A new starting center for the #Jaguars, as Mitch Morse lands quickly. https://t.co/yyibnJcNUw

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2024

For the last two seasons, the Jaguars have used Luke Fortner as their starting center. His passing blocking was average but he struggled heavily in the run game. That led to the Jags being open to landing a new center this offseason. After his release from the Bills, Jacksonville thought Mitch Morse would be a nice overall upgrade to their offensive line. Morse has started all 126 games he’s played over his nine-year NFL career.

From 2019-2023, Mitch Morse was with the Buffalo Bills. He was a key piece of their offensive line. However, he was one of several players the Bills had to cut this offseason. Buffalo needed to get rid of some contracts for cap reasons. Morse was a casualty of that. The 31-year-old did not have to wait long and the Jaguars gave him a new, two-year deal. They hope the Pro Bowl center can add some much-needed veteran leadership to their offensive line in 2024.

Mitch Morse in 2023:

730 pass-blocking snaps
31 QB pressures allowed
1 sack allowed

The Jaguars land their new Center 💥 pic.twitter.com/J2PdrBB66o

— PFF JAX Jaguars (@PFF_Jaguars) March 11, 2024

In 2023, Jags’ QB Trevor Lawrence was sacked a career-high 35 times. That’s something that the team wants to make sure they change this offseason. The signing of Mitch Morse should help that cause. Last season, Morse allowed just one sack in 730 pass-blocking snaps. He started and played in all 17 games for Buffalo. Jacksonville needs that same type of consistency from the veteran center in 2024. This will be Morse’s third team heading into his 10th professional season.