Grading the Jaguars 2020 Free Agents: Quarterback Mike Glennon

As the Jacksonville Jaguars gear up for 2021 NFL free agency, we look back on the FA's signed before the 2020 season and grade their impact on the Jaguars. Next up, quarterback Mike Glennon.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, like many teams in the National Football League, found themselves in a precarious situation last spring. A global pandemic meant scouts and coaches were limited to tape when evaluating players. As such, the Jaguars kept their free agent signings modest.

From there, the list shrunk even more as a handful of those signed elected to retire and/or opt-out for the season.

There were six though that saw significant time on the field for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season and we’ll spend the next few days grading their performance.

Quarterback Mike Glennon was brought in seemingly as a training camp passer and someone to push incumbent starter Gardner Minshew II. By season’s end, Glennon had become the starter…and for the third time in his career, helped a team usher in a No. 1 overall pick.

What Went Right

Glennon is a game manager, not a game-changer. And that’s ok. With some teams, that’s all you need. It’s not what the Jaguars need moving forward; but during his time managing the 2020 team, Glennon’s game management style at least introduced us to some new faces on this Jaguars roster like rookie receiver Collin Johnson, with whom he shared a connection.

Glennon was serviceable as Gardner Minshew recovered and Jake Luton proved to need development time. The decision to keep Glennon in after Minshew was able to return will be questioned, but he stayed on schedule like coaches asked and that was enough to keep him at the helm of the offense.

What Went Wrong

It’s just Glennon’s, “as well as possible” wasn’t on par with anything amounting to late-season wins. He’s serviceable but provided no spark, something that Gardner Minshew was at least able to bring. It might have caused a fire along the way, but the ride was fun on the way down.

Despite his connection with Johnson, there wasn’t much there with the other receivers. DJ Chark nor Keelan Cole saw as much success with Glennon as they did Minshew and Glennon’s biggest job responsibility seemed to be, keep the game moving. Unfortunately, Glennon’s touchdown to interception ratio of 7-5 is indicative of the often one step forward, two steps back the quarterback took with the Jaguars.

Overall Grade On This Signing: C

Mike Glennon didn’t necessarily lose the Jaguars any of the five games he started. But he didn’t win any either. He was a stop-gap and served the role effectively. Former Head Coach Doug Marrone perhaps said it best when explaining his decision to stick with Glennon yet again for the final game of the season (an eventual loss to the Indianapolis Colts).

“We just feel like it gives us a good chance [to win] and we can operate and see where it goes. Honestly, I don’t think any one decision on the quarterback, or any other position, is really going to move the needle one way or the other. If it did, then obviously we would make it, but we don’t feel that way.”