Thursday, January 31, 2013
MJD's contractual future
By Tim Kavanagh
On Wednesday, we passed along a health update on Jacksonville Jaguars star RB Maurice Jones-Drew. But with just one year remaining on his current deal, what's the future of MJD as a business entity, in Jacksonville or otherwise?
As of this point, it appears that Jones-Drew is excited about helping with the franchise's turnaround. "I've never been one to jump ship," he said, per the Florida Times-Union. "In college [at UCLA], we didn't start off too good and worked out to become a better team. Obviously in Jacksonville, we have to work harder than we've ever done so we can build into a championship team. That's what I'm there for -- to do anything I can to help our team be elite."
This is, of course, in sharp contrast to last offseason, when he held out through the preseason. 2013 is a contract year for MJD, and starting off the season with some big performances is important: if he does so, the Jaguars would likely get back to the negotiating table with him. Waiting until the end of the season to negotiate a new pact carries risk for both sides. If they don't agree on a deal, and the Jags still want him in their employ, MJD could be the franchise taggee in 2014.
