The Browns moved on from Cody Kessler after the 2016 season, so the quarterback admits he was ready to move on from Cleveland after last season.
The Browns traded him to the Jaguars on March 28, giving Kessler a fresh start.
“My agent was talking to them, and obviously they got Tyrod [Taylor] and what happened last year, I think I didn’t really have a future there,” Kessler told Mike Kaye of First Coast News. “I told my agent I wanted [another] opportunity. . . . It was kind of a long process through it all and obviously, I’ve only been in the league for two years, so I didn’t really know how it worked, but [my agent] just told me, ‘If that’s what you want to do, we’ll work on it and see what we can do.’”
Kessler, 25, started eight games as a rookie in 2016. He started none last season, watching DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan pass him on the depth chart. He joins the Jaguars, replacing Chad Henne as Blake Bortles’ backup.
“Nothing against Cleveland,” Kessler said. “They drafted me and gave me an opportunity, and I’m forever thankful for that. But, yeah, with how last year went and kind of the situation I was dealt with, I definitely wanted to go somewhere else.”