Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com doesn’t see free agent RB Maurice Jones-Drew being back with the Jaguars next season.
- DiRocco believes the Jaguars will make him an offer, but it most likely will not be the three-year deal he’s supposedly looking for.
- Instead, DiRocco can see Jacksonville offering him a two-year contract that includes “a lot of incentives.”
- DiRocco expects a different team to offer him a contract more in line with this demands on the open market.
Both Jaguars owner Shad Khan and GM Dave Caldwell have said publicly that they will allow Jones-Drew to test the free agent market this March, so it’s really not all that surprising to hear that he could be playing elsewhere at the start of next season.
While Jones-Drew has been a good player over the course of his career, veteran running backs have not fared well in free agency, which means he may have to accept a similar contract to that of Steven Jackson who received a three-year, $12 million contract with $4 million guaranteed from Atlanta last year.
Jones-Drew, 28, is coming off of a disappointing season for the Jaguars in which he totaled 803 yards (3.4 YPC) and five touchdowns. In 2013, he surpassed 100 yards in a game just once, but it is worth mentioning that the Jaguars offense has a whole was pretty bad, and a combination of Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne at quarterback wasn’t exactly doing him any favors by keeping defenders out of the box.
Pro Football Focus actually had him rated as an above average running back last season, but his rating was propped up by his blocking ability.
We have Jones-Drew listed as the No. 59 player in our Top 100 Free Agents list.
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