The Buffalo Bills took an axe to their roster to shift toward a younger, and more cap-compliant team ahead of the 2024 NFL season. Amid multiple cuts, veteran center Mitch Morse‘s release was the biggest surprise.
At the time, Morse still had one season left on his $19.5 million contract. The former Bills team captain had anchored the offensive line for quarterback Josh Allen since 2019.
At age 31, he had shown no signs of slowing down, appearing in all 18 games. However, Morse’s cap hit for the 2024 season was $11.47 million, the ninth largest on the team. Cutting Morse saved the team $8.47 million with a $3 million cap hit. The starting center didn’t remain jobless for long. The Pro Bowler signed a two-year, $10.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Allen told reporters of Morse’s departure, “I absolutely love Mitch with every ounce of my being. He’s one of the greatest dudes in the entire world and I truly mean that. And if you talk to anybody else, they’d say the same thing. A lot of wisdom that he had. I wish him nothing but the best in Jacksonville.”
While Morse, 32, remained as reliable as ever, appearing in every game during the 2024 NFL season, he announced his sudden decision to retire on Thursday, March 6.