Evan Engram is officially back on the market, and New York Giants fans everywhere are collectively shrugging. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ decision to release the former first-round pick might have been a “shocking” move to some, but anyone who watched Engram’s tenure in New York knows exactly how this story plays out.
Engram’s time in New York was a rollercoaster, to say the least. There were flashes of the athletic mismatch guy the Giants envisioned when they drafted him in the first round back in 2017, but consistency issues seemingly always reared their ugly heads. Whether it was injuries limiting his availability, struggles with reliability in key moments, or an offense that never quite figured out how to maximize his strengths, the fit just never fully clicked.
After five up-and-down seasons with the Giants, Engram got a fresh start in Jacksonville, where he had one truly great season in 2023. That year, he posted career highs in receptions (114) and yards (963), giving hope that he had finally turned a corner. But unfortunately for Engram, it didn’t last. Injuries derailed his 2024 campaign, limiting him to just nine games and 365 receiving yards. Now, Jacksonville is moving on, and Engram is once again a free agent.
And another: The #Jaguars informed two-time Pro Bowl TE Evan Engram they’re releasing him, per source. pic.twitter.com/2EtH6owJ9Q
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 6, 2025
Evan Engram’s inconsistencies finally caught up to him
The Jaguars took a chance on Engram when the Giants let him walk, and for a brief moment, it looked like they had struck gold. But when you look at his overall body of work, his release isn’t all that surprising. The Jags handed him a three-year, $41.25 million contract after his big 2023 season, but they clearly realized that investing long-term in Engram was an unnecessary gamble.
His production dipped significantly in 2024, and given the massive cap hit he carried into 2025—nearly $20 million—it made sense for Jacksonville to cut ties. They’re now eating $13.5 million in dead cap just to get him off the books, a clear indication that they saw no future with him in their new-look offense under Liam Coen.
This is just another chapter of Engram's history, a career filled with unrealized potential. He’ll likely find another team willing to take a flier on him because athleticism and potentially unrecognized talent will always get you another shot in the NFL. But for the Giants, this news is just further proof that moving on from him was actually the right call. Which is crazy because of recent history and how that hasn't been the case.