After spending a year in North Florida and hitting the open market in March, former Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has found a new team in the New England Patriots. Per multiple media outlets, the veteran signed a one-year deal with the Super Bowl champions Wednesday and will look to help fill the void left by their former top weapon Rob Gronkowski.
Seferian-Jenkins, 26, initially entered the league as a second-round selection (No. 38 overall) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014, but was eventually traded to the New York Jets in 2016. In 2017, he signed with the Jags as a free-agent and had a solid training camp with the team heading into the regular season. However, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, he sustained two hernia tears in the process, which slowed him and eventually sent him to injured reserve six weeks into the regular season. As a result, he was only able to accumulate 11 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown during his brief time in Jacksonville.
Many fans were split on whether the Jags should’ve picked up his Year 2 option, however, the Jags decided to go a different direction and signed former Dallas Cowboys tight end Geoff Swaim last month. That said, if Seferian-Jenkins can stay healthy, the Patriots may have a solid contributor on their hands.
