When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Luke Fortner in 2022, they thought they were getting the heir apparent to Brandon Linder and the long-term answer at center. However, that wasn't the case.
Fortner struggled to hit his stride throughout his stint with the Jags. By his third season, Jacksonville had seen enough of him and traded him to the New Orleans Saints. He managed to find his footing and has now joined the Carolina Panthers.
Jaguars draft bust Luke Fortner is signing with the Panthers
Late on Day 2 of the tampering period, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reported that the Panthers are signing Luke Fortner to a one-year deal worth up to $4.75 million.
While Fortner is far from a top-tier center, he enjoyed somewhat of a career revival in his lone season in The Big Easy, giving up just three sacks and 11 total pressures on 676 snaps.
All things considered, things are working out just fine for the former Kentucky Wildcat. A third-round pick in 2022 by the Jags, he was a Day 1 starter and raised eyebrows after playing every single snap in his rookie campaign. However, Fortner also showed that he had room for improvement. Then again, he flashed enough to make you think that he could make strides in his second season. That wasn't the case.
Fortner regressed in 2023, and the only reason he wasn't benched was that Jacksonville didn't have anyone else. In fact, he struggled so badly that the Jaguars brought in Mitch Morse to replace him in the following year.
Morse retired after 2024, and Fortner got a clean slate under head coach Liam Coen. However, the team's brass signed Robert Hainsey to start at center, which made him expendable. And in the midst of the preseason, the Jags traded the Cleveland, Ohio native to the Saints in return for defensive tackle Khalen Saunders.
Now, Fortner gets to stay in the NFC South for at least another season.
Things worked out for Luke Fortner after his stint with the Jaguars
Players' readiness is always variable, which is why some draft picks need more time than others to put it all together. That appears to be the case with Luke Forter. By all appearances, he wasn't a fit in Jacksonville. Not even after a new regime arrived was the hog molly able to flourish, and it wasn't until he was shipped to the Saints that he made progress.
Keep in mind that Fortner is far from the only player who's come crashing down with the Jaguars but has found success somewhere else. K'Lavon Chaisson, the 20th overall pick in 2020, also spent four unremarkable seasons in Duval but he was able to reach his full potential with the New England Patriots last year.
Then again, for every success case, there's a flop. Jacksonville also drafted cornerback C.J. Henderson in 2020, and he's been unable to thrive in spite of getting several opportunities. The same is true for wide receiver Laviska Shenault, who's no longer in the NFL after flopping at different spots.
Luke Fortner probably won't be making the Pro Bowl any time soon, but he's at least managed to turn into a competent center. That said, the Jaguars would've liked it to happen sooner.