Mitch Morse Explains Why He Signed With the Jaguars

Sunshine, Trevor Lawrence, and Doug Pederson.

Those are the first things new Jacksonville Jaguars center Mitch Morse mentioned on Wednesday when asked why it was Jacksonville where his career would go next. 

"I think it was kind of a slew of deals, so not only my familiarity with Doug [Pederson] in the past, I've always had a sense of trying to get back to him ever since he became a head coach. I thought it would kind of be a fun deal," Morse said. 

"The culture, we [the Bills] got absolutely smacked last year in London and I've been a big fan of that defense for a very long time as well as the offense of course. I think this league is a quarterback-driven league and to win in this league you have to have a quarterback with the tangibles and the intangibles. I think Trevor [Lawrence] kind of embodies both of those things. So, that and the sunshine doesn't hurt, right? Being able to get the joints lubed up a little and feeling my fingers in November and December, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy my time in Buffalo. It was home for so many years. The only thing I have to say is that it is a little warmer here so we're looking forward to that.”

Morse has a connection to Pederson after starting 15 games at center for the Chiefs as a rookie in 2015, which was Pederson's final year as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator. The Chiefs selected Morse in the second-round that offseason.

And it is Pederson who Morse continued to come back to on Wednesday. He spent just one year with Pederson -- nearly a decade ago -- but it was that one year that helped Morse want to reunite with the Jaguars head coach. 

"As a rookie, you're just trying to keep your head above water. So, part of that is you're trying to survive, you learn to play football through trial by fire. They're throwing you into their ring with the big guys for the first time and you're trying to develop. The one thing I do remember about Doug was actually less about his coaching and more about his personality," Morse said. 

"Not only is he not afraid of candid conversations but he's easy to talk to. He's the same person on and off the field. He's just a good man and I think what that usually does is good dudes or good people usually lead to good football players. Not exclusively good football players and good coaches, it's what you want in a coach. You have good X's and O's but what's it going to be like on game day? I've been very fortunate these last few teams I've been on that have good coaches that are steady presences, don't really ride the waves, the ebbs and flows of the NFL, which is hard to do in such an emotionally charged business. So, I just remember him more as a person than an X's and O's kind of deal. I'm really looking forward to getting back and working with him.”

Morse, who turns 32 in April, started 49 regular season games and three playoff games for the Chiefs over four years before signing with the Bills in 2019.

Since then, Morse has started 77 regular season games and 10 playoff games for the Bills over five seasons, missing seven starts in the process.

Morse was released by the Bills for cap reasons last week, ending a five-year run with one Pro Bowl and several years as a building block of the Bills' offense.

"I understood where they were in the cap and I had a very candid conversation with Brandon Beane [Bills General Manager] GM at the end of the season, so you're always hopeful that you're still a part of where you've been for so many years. You feel like you've got something going on. So, whenever you get personal and business mixed up, you get in trouble," Morse said. 

"The best teams I truly believe are the ones focusing on football and building a family environment, you have to. But also understand that inherently this is a business. So, the personal side of it definitely hurt, the business side of it makes sense. It will be home for me and my family, we spent five great years there but time marches on and it happened quickly, as you see. We're so excited to be not only a part of this organization but to immerse ourselves in the Jacksonville area.”