Jaguars Waive E.J. Perry, Make Room on Roster For Calvin Ridley

As a result of Calvin Ridley's reinstatement, the Jaguars had a move to make on Tuesday.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars officially adding Calvin Ridley to their offseason roster on Monday, the Jaguars were forced to cut a player on Tuesday, resulting in the waiving of second-year quarterback E.J. Perry.

The Jaguars signed Perry to an undrafted rookie deal with $230,000 in guaranteed money and a $23,000 signing bonus. Perry received the second-largest guaranteed contract among undrafted quarterbacks, with only Carson Strong of the Philidelphia Eagles receiving more ($320k). 

Among all undrafted free agents, Perry received the third-most guaranteed money and the same amount as fellow Jags signee Kevin Austin, one of the biggest names to sign in undrafted free agency in the whole league.

Perry spent his rookie season as the Jaguars' No. 3 quarterback and on the practice squad. Now, the Jaguars will move forward without him on the offseason roster, with former CFL quarterback Nathan Rourke instead serving as their No. 3 quarterback. Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard signed a two-year extension this offseason.

“Number one, they’ve got to be able to—it’s an unselfish role. You’ve got to take a backseat. Normally, it’s hard for a quarterback, especially a backup quarterback, because you want to play. I think about our guy C.J. Beathard," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

"I think about even Nick Foles in Philly and myself. Frank Reich (Panthers Head Coach Frank Reich), we talked about, the thing is, you want them to push the starter but don’t threaten the starter. That’s why it was great to get C.J. signed for a couple years. He’s the perfect guy for Trevor (QB Trevor Lawrence) because he’s a veteran guy. He’s played, he’s started games in this league, he knows our offense, and he can really be another set of eyes for Trevor, and that’s what a backup does. 

"You push them from the standpoint of making Trevor better, but at the same time, you’re never threatening that position. C.J. is the perfect—I know he wants to play, and he had an opportunity maybe last year, potentially, with Trevor’s injury and all that. To me, that’s what makes a solid backup.”