Out goes a quarterback to Chicago, and into Jacksonville comes a quarterback who once called Chicago home.
The Jaguars have agreed to terms with veteran signal-caller Mike Glennon, the team announced Friday.
“Mike is entering his eighth season in the NFL and will bring vital experience into our quarterback room and make us a better football team,” coach Doug Marrone said in a statement. “We want to be as strong as possible at every position, and we expect Mike to come in and work hard, compete every day and help our team win.”
Glennon’s career is an intriguing tale. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound product of North Carolina State started 13 games as a rookie in 2013 — a season in which he made just slightly over $1 million — and hasn’t broken double-digit appearances in a season since then, yet he’s managed to make over $29 million in his career. A large chunk of that total came in 2017, when Glennon signed with the Chicago Bears as the team’s new starting quarterback. That role lasted just a month, as Glennon was unseated by rookie Mitch Trubisky in Week 5 of the 2017 season.
Glennon eventually made his way to Arizona, where he appeared in two games (zero starts) in 2018, completing 15 of 21 pass attempts for 174 yards and one touchdown. He produced even lower numbers in two appearances with the Raiders in 2019 as a backup to Derek Carr.
And yet, Glennon remains a quarterback who does indeed have enough experience to qualify as a viable backup. Of course, as is the case with any backup, the hope is a team isn’t forced to turn to him. Jacksonville is pinning its hopes on Gardner Minshew during this strange rebuild, but make it competitive approach, and hedging with Glennon.
The ceiling is visible, but it’s better than the alternative — being left with Josh Dobbs or sixth-round pick Jake Luton. And for Glennon, it’s another year of employment, a commendable achievement.