JACKSONVILLE – This was a good day on multiple Jaguars fronts.
Montaric Brown, Dennis Gardeck and Quintin Morris – three veterans key to the Jaguars' success this past season – re-signed Monday and will remain with the franchise moving into the 2026 season.
"Super-excited to be back," Gardeck said, with Brown adding, "We have something special here. To continue that, it feels great."
That was the sentiment for all three veterans Monday – with all three having been scheduled to become unrestricted free agents Wednesday, the start of the 2026 NFL League Year.
"It's the best fit," Morris said. "It's nice to see all these pieces coming back and ready to see Duval in the championship."
Brown, a cornerback originally selected by the Jaguars in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, emerged as a starter in 2025 when he played in 15 games with 12 starts. He registered two interceptions with a team-high 12 passes defensed and 47 tackles with 39 solos.
"It feels great," Brown said. "It feels unbelievable to get things done and to stay here. I've enjoyed my time here since I've been here. This is somewhere I always wanted to be. To play with these guys, these coaches, this organization … it just means a lot to me."
Brown said signing a reported three-year contract extension after originally being selected in Round 7 was about "just taking it one day at a time, working and keeping a chip on my shoulder, using that as fuel and motivation – never being satisfied with doing good one day or one year. Keeping it going and just keep building."
Brown's re-signing means much of the secondary will return in 2026 – with Brown, cornerback Travis Hunter, cornerback Jarrian Jones, cornerback Christian Braswell, safety Antonio Johnson and safety Eric Murray all playing key roles last season. Caleb Ransaw also is expected to play a key role at safety in 2026 after missing his 2025 rookie season with a foot injury.
"The chemistry is always strong," Brown said. "It's just built even more. We all have a connection. We all play well together. To keep that going means a lot. The sky's the limit."
Gardeck, a ninth-year linebacker, signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent last June after seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He started six of 17 games played last season with two-and-a-half sacks, 37 tackles – 24 solo – and six for loss.
"I feel renewed as a professional football player," he said, emphasizing the importance of defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile and linebackers coach Tem Lukabu. "I'm excited to come to work. I'm excited about the future. There's still more meat on the bone and that's exciting.
"There's still so much more to learn in my game and I know those guys are going to get it out of me and I'm excited."
The Jaguars in their first season under Campanile led the NFL in run defense at 85.58 yards per game allowed this past season, finishing second in the NFL with 31 takeaways en route to a 13-4 record and an AFC South title.
"I feel like there's going to be another big leap between Year 1 and Year 2, just having an identity set and going from there," Gardeck said. "It will be good to be back with the guys and that will kind of start to dictate and shape roles."
Gardeck spent much of the 2025 offseason rehabilitating from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"I don't think I was running or even fully weight-bearing this time last year," Gardeck said. "From a training standpoint it's a lot more fun to be in a group of guys working out and getting ready for next season, not relearning how to run and having to work through that sort of stuff."
Morris, a fifth-year tight end, started five of 14 games played in 2025 after signing with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent last May. He caught six passes for 55 yards and a touchdown last season.
"I think there's a lot of untapped potential," Morris said. "It's definitely a lot more comfortable in the sense of coming back and being in a familiar system and understanding the coaches, what we're building and what we're trying to accomplish.
"It's a lot less thinking and you can go out there and play."
Morris, like Brown and Gardeck, said Head Coach Liam Coen and the Jaguars' coaching staff "definitely played a big part" in his decision.
"This is definitely where I want to be," Morris said. "It was kind of a no-brainer. Talking to my agent, I was like, 'Jacksonville is where I want to be.' What's being built here is special."
