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After the Seattle Seahawks lost the Wild Card Playoff game to the Dallas Cowboys, nine of ten members on the practice squad signed future contracts with the Seahawks, setting up their return to the team for training camp in July. The tenth member of the practice squad, and the lone member not to sign a future contract was 2018 seventh round draft pick, quarterback Alex McGough.
Not certain, but McGough was reportedly paid significantly more than minimum to be on the PS because another team wamted him.
— tropical storm john (@SeahawksMachine) January 8, 2019
I won't be surprised if he signs elsewhere in the coming days.
I won’t waste time pointing out that the dots were not difficult to connect in this situation, and on Tuesday we finally learned why McGough was not on the list of Seahawks practice squad players set to return in 2019.
NFL official transactions: QB Alex McGough, #Seahawks' 7th-rd pick last year out of Fla Intl, on practice squad in 2018 before SEA waived him at season's end, signs futures contract with Jacksonville. Only 2nd quarterback PC/JS have drafted. Other is Russell Wilson
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 15, 2019
The important part of that tweet is that McGough signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, so is set to go to training camp with them next summer. The part about Seattle waiving McGough is technically incorrect, but the end result is the same, as McGough is no longer an employee of the Seahawks.
Now, before anybody bothers to ask how a 2018 draft pick of the team who spent the season on the practice squad can go sign with another team, the answer is simple. The day after the season ends for teams the practice squad for that team is dissolved, and all members of the squad become unrestricted free agents free to sign with any team. Because most practice squad players are on a practice squad because no other team felt the need to claim them off waivers, the overwhelming majority of players sign a future contract with their practice squad team for the next season.
However, on occasion, as was seen here, and as was also seen in the case of former Seahawk Isaiah Battle it does happen that players will take advantage of their free agent status and sign elsewhere. In the case of Battle, after having spent 2016 on the practice squad for the Los Angeles Rams, Battle signed with the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the 2017 season. Then, in a Madden-esque maneuver, the Chiefs flipped Battle to the Seahawks for a conditional draft pick at the end of training camp.
In any case, best of luck to McGough in Jacksonville, where he should immediately become a part of the conversation when it comes to who the starting quarterback will be for the Jaguars in 2019.