JACKSONVILLE – This where he wanted to be.
That made the past few weeks uncertain for James O'Shaughnessy, but it made his decision this week comparatively easy.
O'Shaughnessy, a fifth-year tight end who spent the past two seasons with the Jaguars, re-signed with the team early Thursday afternoon. He became an unrestricted free agent on the March 13 first day of the 2019 League Year.
"I knew once I came to Duval a couple of years ago this is kind of the place I wanted to be," O'Shaughnessy said shortly after signing at TIAA Bank Field Thursday. "From the team environment, to people I work with every day, they made it fun for me to come to work. …
"I'm very happy to be back in Duval."
O'Shaughnessy said he wasn't sure until the last couple of days if he would return.
"It was really hard to say," he said. "I got the opportunity to see some other teams and spoke to other people. It was all positive, but I wanted to be back here. Between the community and between the team, this is where I wanted to be.
"As soon as it came together and it all sounded right, I jumped on the opportunity."
O'Shaughnessy said a major reason he wanted to return was to complete what he called "unfinished business from the 2017 season" – the season the Jaguars won the AFC South and advanced to the AFC Championship game.
"The people in this organization and who are part of this team know what we put into it and know where we should be," he said. "Obviously last year things didn't work out the way it should have, but one hundred percent I feel like we have unfinished business.
"The guys in this locker room have committed to being a winning team and a championship-caliber team. We didn't get it done last year. To get the opportunity to come back and see through what we kind of started, it means a lot to me. It means a lot to everyone in this building to finish that."
O'Shaughnessy, originally a fifth-round selection by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2015 NFL Draft, joined the Jaguars off waivers from the Houston Texans shortly before the 2017 season. He spent the 2016 season with the Chiefs, where he was a teammate of then-Chiefs backup quarterback Nick Foles.
Foles signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent last week.
"I know how talented he is, and I also know how as a teammate he kind of brings the locker room together," O'Shaughnessy said of Foles. "I'm truly excited to get this opportunity to get another year to play with him."
O'Shaughnessy (6-feet-4, 245 pounds), 27, has started 10 of 30 games in two seasons with the Jaguars. He has 46 receptions for 449 yards and a touchdown in four NFL seasons – including 38 receptions for 363 yards and a touchdown with the Jaguars.
The Jaguars since March 13 have signed or re-signed seven players, including six offensive players: guard A.J. Cann (re-signed), Foles (Philadelphia Eagles), tight end Geoff Swaim (Dallas Cowboys), tackle Cedrick Ogbuehi (Cincinnati Bengals), wide receiver Chris Conley (Kansas City Chiefs), linebacker Jake Ryan (Green Bay Packers) and O'Shaughnessy (re-signed).
"I think offensively we're progressing," O'Shaughnessy said. "Obviously last year we didn't get it done the way we should. I think everybody coming back from last year understands that. With the new additions and some upgrades in certain rooms – some character guys who are going to bring the offense together – we're going to have a dynamic maybe people haven't seen the last couple of years. It's all exciting."
