Ex-Jaguars TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins Reportedly Signs Contract with Patriots

The New England Patriots agreed to a one-year deal with veteran tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, according to ESPN.com's Field Yates. 

Seferian-Jenkins appeared in five games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018, catching 11 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport added Seferian-Jenkins will earn the league minimum and spurned interest from the Seattle Seahawks to join New England.

His arrival provides some depth at tight end for the Patriots. They signed Matt LaCrosse earlier in the spring but hadn't done anything at the position following Rob Gronkowski's retirement in March.

Nobody expects Seferian-Jenkins to fill the void Gronkowski created.

The 26-year-old has largely underwhelmed in the NFL since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft. In 43 career appearances, he has 116 receptions for 1,160 yards and 11 scores.

The Patriots are a great landing spot for Seferian-Jenkins since he should have the opportunity to earn a meaningful role in the offense. He'll also have one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history throwing him passes.

Perhaps the team can catch lightning in a bottle with an undervalued free agent—something head coach Bill Belichick has done numerous times before.

Signing Seferian-Jenkins is unlikely to preclude New England from targeting a tight end early in the 2019 draft, though. In his most recent mock, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller projected the Patriots to select Ole Miss tight end Dawson Knox with the final pick of the second round.