Jacksonville Jaguars sign TE Ethan Conner

Ethan Conner's three-year, $3.1M deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI), landing in fair-deal territory for a tight end operating at the bottom of the positional salary ladder — though the structure leaves little margin for error. At roughly $1M AAV, this is textbook depth-piece pricing, the kind of contract reserved for developmental or roster-fringe tight ends who need to earn their way into a rotation rather than arriving with a defined role. The position tier implied by that salary is solidly below-average to replacement-level, meaning Conner enters Jacksonville's offseason with the burden of proof squarely on him before the regular season opens in 99 days. What gives the CVI pause is the contract's structure: with only $12K in guaranteed money against a three-year term, the Jaguars have essentially signed an inexpensive insurance policy with near-zero financial commitment — but that also means Conner carries virtually no roster security and can be released at any point without consequence. For a team sitting at 13-4 and holding a top-three AFC seed, the low-risk, low-cost nature of the deal aligns with the organizational posture of a contending roster filling out its depth chart rather than addressing a premium need. The CVI reflects a transaction that is neither a steal nor a mistake — it is the kind of calculated, low-stakes move that roster-building requires at this phase, but one that will only upgrade if Conner outperforms the modest expectations embedded in his price tag.