Mac Jones Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars brought in Mac Jones by way of a trade with the New England Patriots this offseason, but it sounds like the team is not willing to commit to keeping him on the roster longer than this year.

According to a report from Michael DiRocco of ESPN, the Jacksonville Jaguars have decided to decline the fifth-year option for newly-acquired quarterback Mac Jones, allowing him to become a free agent at the end of the season.

This decision makes sense considering that the team brought him in to compete as the backup quarterback. If they picked up his fifth-year option, that would have guaranteed him the same $25.664 million salary that Lawrence is now in line to make as the team’s starter.

While this decision was certainly not a surprise given the contract situation and his current status with the team, it does ensure that Jones will become a free agent following this year, but there is always a chance he could still choose to re-sign with the Jaguars after this year if this season goes well.

We’ll have to see how it all plays out and what sort of role Jones is able to carve out for the Jaguars this season.

[ESPN]