Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Sam Mustipher received a somewhat surprising opportunity this week when the Jacksonville Jaguars signed the soon-to-be 30-year-old to their roster.

The undrafted free agent out of the 2019 NFL Draft now hopes to extend his NFL career to seven seasons heading into the 2026 campaign. It has been a career that has taken many by surprise, and Mustapher has proven the doubters wrong, to say the least.

While Mustapher was a good player during his Notre Dame career, the lack of size and overall athleticism was deemed something that could hold him back from achieving a long NFL tenure. During his six years in the NFL, Mustapher has played in a total of 65 contests with 43 career starts.

The bulk of those came with the Chicago Bears, where he spent his first three seasons. He has also spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos during his most recent stints in the 2025 season.

Mustapha’s path to Jacksonville

After the 2025 campaign, Mustapher became a street free agent, and many wondered what would come next. He now gets another opportunity with the Jaguars, a team that also has a couple of former Golden Domers already on the roster in starting center Robert Hainsey and second-year linebacker Jack Kiser.

Mustapha will challenge for the center depth behind Hainsey to see if he can find a spot inside. It is not the most talented offensive line in the NFL, but the Jaguars do have a quality room, so making the roster is not a foregone conclusion. Jonah Monheim, formerly of USC, is the player projected to be the backup center heading into the 2026 NFL season.

That represents the main competition point Mustapha will have to beat out to find a role on this team.

What Mustapher could mean for Jacksonville’s depth

Head coach Liam Coen set the foundation for a promising future for the Jaguars last season, helping lead the team to the playoffs. With quarterback Trevor Lawrence seemingly going into his prime, Jacksonville looks set up to be very good for years to come. Every team is defined not only by the stars on its roster but by the quality of its depth.

Could Mustapher be a player the Jaguars can count on in some capacity? We will see how his time in Jacksonville progresses over the next couple of weeks during training camp.