Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Jaguars are placing LT Branden Albert on the reserve/retired list on Tuesday after he recently informed the team that he was no longer planning to retire.
By placing Albert on the reserve/retired list, the Jaguars ensured that they hold his rights while he’s still retired. However, should Albert return to the NFL and the Jaguars no longer want to keep him, they could move on and allow him to be subject to waivers.
If Albert clears waivers, he would become a free agent.
While Albert may have changed his mind about retirement, there’s some question as to whether the Jaguars will actually welcome him back to the team after he skipped offseason workouts and the retired after a few days in training camp.
Some have speculated that Albert’s decision to return could be related to the $3.4 million of his signing bonus he would have to pay the Jaguars back, which means the two parties could be headed toward a showdown over this money.
Albert, 32, is a former first-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2008. He spent six years in Kansas City before signing a five-year, $46 million contract with $25 million guaranteed with the Dolphins back in 2014.
Albert had two years remaining on his contract and stands to make base salaries of $8.875 million and $9.575 million during this time.
Jacksonville agreed to send a 2018 seventh-round pick to the Dolphins in return for Albert and the two teams also completed a separate trade for TE Julius Thomas soon after.
In 2016, Albert appeared in 12 games and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 65 offensive tackle out of 78 qualifying players.
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