After pitching a shutout in the preseason finale, the Jacksonville Jaguars are in the process of trimming down their roster from 90 players to 53. And with cutdown day looming, they just made a trade to bolster their quarterback room.
The Jags swapped Day 3 picks with the Miami Dolphins to acquire Quinn Ewers. Keep in mind that if they traded for the sophomore quarterback, it's because he'll make the 53-man roster. While the move gives their quarterback room a boost, it suddenly puts Nick Mullens' future in question.
Why did the Jaguars trade for Quinn Ewers
An undrafted free agent in 2018, Nick Mullens spent three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before bolting to the Cleveland Browns in 2021. He then played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2022 to 2024. There, Jaguars offensive coordinator Nick Mullens was the assistant quarterbacks coach.
After his three-year stint in Minneapolis, Nick Mullens inked a two-year deal with Jacksonville in 2025. He barely got any playing time last season, though, because Trevor Lawrence managed to stay healthy. Heck, in five games, the veteran signal-caller just attempted three passes and completed all three for 19 yards.
Mullens is now entering Year 2 with the Jags but was underwhelming in training and the preseason. In particular, he left much to be desired in the opener against the New Orleans Saints. The Southern Miss Golden Eagle played a bit better in the next two games, but his uninspiring play was a wake-up call for the Jags.
Compounding the issue is that Carter Bradley and Joey Aguilar, who are behind Mullens on the depth chart, weren't particularly impressive. That might've prompted Jacksonville to pull the trigger on Quinn Ewers.
What's next for the Jaguars and Nick Mullens?
If the Jaguars felt good about Nick Mullens being the primary backup at quarterback, they wouldn't have traded for Quinn Ewers. It's also a sign that they're probably not impressed with either Carter Bradley or Joey Aguilar.
The question is now whether Jacksonville will move on from Nick Mullens before cutdown day. It's worth noting that the Phins also need a backup quarterback behind Malik Willis, and it's telling that Mullens wasn't part of the trade for Ewers.
Anyway, Mullen is set to count $2.5 million against the cap. Releasing him — at this point, it's hard to see a team trading for him — would free up $1.2 million in space and leave $1.3 million in dead money. Then again, Jacksonville will also need to take on Ewers' contract. The good news is that it's substantially cheap.
Ewers no longer has any guaranteed money on his deal and is set to make a combined $3.360 million the next three years, or an annual average of $1.12 million. The Jaguars can kick the tires on him, and if he's a dud, they can simply move on from him without any cap repercussions.
The truth is that there's a chance the Quinn Ewers trade may not solve the Jaguars' depth issue at quarterback, but by making the move, they're acknowledging that they're in need of reinforcements. At the same time, they're letting it be known that Nick Mullens might not be part of the solution.
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