Jaguars sign Montana playmaker Michael Wortham after record-setting season

The Jacksonville Jaguars gave Montana playmaker Michael Wortham the next step he needed, signing the wide receiver and return specialist to an NFL rookie free agent contract after he went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft. For a player whose value travels fastest on special teams and versatility, the move opened a direct path to rookie minicamp and a live chance to win a roster spot in Jacksonville.

Wortham arrives with the kind of production NFL teams rarely ignore. In his lone season in Missoula, he piled up 2,431 all-purpose yards, breaking Marc Mariani’s Montana school record of 2,265 set in 2008. He finished with 1,224 receiving yards, 345 rushing yards and 862 combined kickoff and punt return yards, while his 85 catches ranked second in a single season in Montana history. His 782 kickoff return yards ranked third on the program’s all-time single-season list, underscoring why evaluators viewed him as more than a slot target.

That all-purpose profile is the part that gives Wortham a real camp path. Undrafted receivers often have a tougher climb when they are viewed as one-dimensional, but return production changes the equation. Wortham can help on offense, handle kickoff returns and add punt-return value, which gives coaches more ways to keep him active while they sort out the back end of the roster. For a player fighting through a crowded rookie class, that kind of flexibility matters as much as highlight catches.

His pre-draft testing helped keep him on the radar after the draft ended. Montana said Wortham “didn’t disappoint” at Pro Day, posting a 37.5-inch vertical jump, a 6.75-second three-cone drill and a 4.48-second 40-yard dash. The school noted that his 6.75 in the three-cone would have been the second-fastest among receivers at the NFL Combine, a number that matched the movement skills his tape suggested.

The Jaguars are bringing him into a larger rookie haul as well. Jacksonville said it agreed to terms with 18 undrafted free agents, a group that will head toward offseason work at Miller Electric Center. That gives Wortham the same early installation window that has helped other rookie hopefuls turn a signing into a longer stay.

Wortham’s route to this point also explains why he stayed on NFL boards. Before transferring to Montana from Eastern Washington, he was a Stats Perform FCS second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Sky selection. At Montana, he became a consensus All-American, an East-West Shrine Bowl invitee and the program’s first Walter Payton Award finalist since 2010, finishing just 90 yards shy of the Big Sky single-season all-purpose record.

For Montana, Wortham’s signing adds another NFL name to a pipeline that also includes Kenzel Lawler’s Chiefs minicamp invitation. For Jacksonville, it is a low-risk swing on a player whose numbers, return value and versatility give him a much clearer shot than the usual undrafted long shot.