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A report from Mike Garafolo of NFL Network and NFL.com surfaced Wednesday night indicating that free agent tight end Gary Barnidge may be meeting with the Jaguars soon.
TE Gary Barnidge is attending the Kentucky Derby so he's pausing his FA tour after Buf visit. Possible future visits to Jags, Panthers.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 3, 2017
I’m not positive on why the visits with the Jags and the Panthers are listed as possible, but I’d guess that it’s dependent on whether or not he decides to sign with Buffalo.
Barnidge, who will turn 32 towards the beginning of this season, was released by the Cleveland Browns following the 2017 NFL Draft. Barnidge began his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers, where he played for four years, before moving on to the Browns. In the 2015 season, he became a fantasy football darling and Pro Bowler by scoring nine touchdowns to go with 1,043 yards receiving. He followed that up in 2016 with more of a down year, scoring only twice with just over 600 yards receiving, as the Browns found themselves with the worst record in the league.
If the Jaguars did sign Barnidge, it would be a bit of a homecoming for the tight end: Barnidge’s home town is Middleburg. The move would make sense for the Jaguars, given their average depth at the position, and the fact that they just traded away their starting tight end from the last two seasons.
What do you think? Would you like to see Barnidge back in northeast Florida? Does his age or big dip in production last season concern you? Let us know!