JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The Jacksonville Jaguars Monday waived wayward tight end Johnny Mitchell, who has not played a regular-season NFL game since 1996.
"We wanted to be fair and give him a chance to catch on with somebody else," said Jacksonville Coach Jack Del Rio.
The Jaguars signed Mitchell in the spring when they were unsure if starting tight end Kyle Brady would be willing to restructure his contract. Once Brady reported for training camp, the Jaguars had little use for Mitchell.
The first-round pick of the New York Jets in 1992 caught 158 passes for 2,086 yards and 16 touchdowns in four years with them, but once Bill Parcells took over as Jets coach in 1996, Mitchell walked out of training camp and was released.
He also has played for Miami and Dallas. After two years out of football, he signed with the Jets in 1999, but announced his retirement in training camp. He resurfaced in 2001 with New Orleans, but never played in a regular-season game for the Saints.
