MJD seems adamant about redoing his contract but the Jags are saying no way:
Maurice Jones-Drew skipping camp Updated: June 12, 2012, 9:37 PM ET
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- One day after the Jacksonville Jaguars took a strong stance on Maurice Jones-Drew's contract situation, the star running back made his feelings equally clear.
And he did it without saying a word.
Jones-Drew skipped the opening day of a mandatory minicamp Tuesday, showing just how disgruntled he is about his current deal, and has no plans to join the Jaguars for any part of the three-day practice session.nCoach Mike Mularkey can fine Jones-Drew up to $60,000 if he misses the entire camp.
"Obviously I would have liked to have had him here a long time ago," said Mularkey, who declined to say whether he will levy a fine. "It's not like all of a sudden something's new. It's been the same case. I'm trying to focus on the guys that are here, similar in talking about the guys that do it right on the weekends. Basically the same thing.
"The guys who show up here have gotten a lot done for us in all phases. Those are the guys I want to talk about. Write a good story about good things for them that are happening." Jones-Drew, who led the NFL in rushing last season with 1,606 yards, has two years remaining on a five-year contract worth $31 million. He is scheduled to make $4.45 million this season and $4.95 million in 2013.
This situation doesn't look pretty for Fantasy football players IMO. MJD seems to always have some sort of injury lingering around all year and in addition, he is holding out of camp which smells like trouble without the proper conditioning. I think I am going to shy away from him this year, even if he is being drafted as one of the premiere RBs.
Maurice Jones-Drew hopeful a deal will get done with Jaguars By Steve Wyche Reporter, NFL.com and NFL Network Published: June 20, 2012 at 11:08 p.m. Updated: June 21, 2012 at 11:00 a.m.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that his absence from the team's offseason workouts and mandatory minicamp is contract related -- something general manager Gene Smith admitted two weeks ago.
"This is the side of the NFL that's just as real as Sunday," Jones-Drew told NFL Network by phone.
"This is what the NFL is really about. What I can say is that I hope that we can get something done," Jones-Drew added. "To talk about it in the media is not going to help. Hopefully we can have something where we can be able to get out there and play in the future."
Jones-Drew, who led the NFL in rushing last season, has two years and $9.4 million dollars left on a deal Smith said the team won't re-negotiate.
There is speculation that Jones-Drew will hold out of training camp and be subject to fines of $30,000 per day. The Jaguars could also choose to fine Jones-Drew $60,000 for missing a recent three-day, mandatory minicamp.
As a Chris Johnson owner of a year ago, I pledged to never draft a running back that wasn't participating in camp. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice..........
I wanted no part of him last year and was dead wrong and I want no part of him this year as well. I'll gladly take DMC or AP over him as I have the 8th pick in my main $$ leage . I almost always go with the younger, fresher legs than a vet whose time is just about up. He may show strong again but not on my team using a 1st round pick.
I don't own MJD in any leagues but if I did I'd be very concerned/trying to trade him asap. He's just got all the red flags this year - hold out, tons of carries the last few years and an offense that is completely inept without him. I'm staying far away.
Jones-Drew contract destined to become distraction Submitted by Gene Frenette on June 30, 2012 - 8:09pm Gene Frenette's Blog
Maurice Jones-Drew keeps saying in carefully crafted interviews with national media that his contract issue with the Jaguars is just business, that he has no desire to negotiate through the media. That's the right play, knowing general manager Gene Smith won't make adjustments on a deal that was front-loaded for him to collect $21.85 million in the first three years.
Though he has minimal leverage, Jones-Drew is counting on the "I'm-the-face-of-the-franchise" card to pressure the front office into moving him back up the top-10 salary ladder at his position. Good luck with that.
It's not a big deal now, but this impasse could get sticky if Jones-Drew is intent on pushing his likely training camp holdout into September. Players are all for teammates getting paid, but at some point, the business of winning takes precedent over the business of adjusting a contract that has two years remaining.
Jones-Drew is entitled to fight for his livelihood, especially in an industry in which teams often cut players long before contracts expire. But there's a down side to star players holding out, and the one example in Jaguars' history — Jimmy Smith in 2002 —bears that out.
Smith, who was coming off five consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, also had two years left on a deal and was looking to double his salary. The Jaguars relented after a 35-day holdout as the two sides compromised on a new contract. But Smith was never the same impact player the rest of his career, which might have been because of his age (33) at the time. Or certainly to the substance-abuse problems that plagued him in his final years.
You know MJD has always been a stand up guy, his character I would never question. The problem is the precedent has been set and he knows at age 27 with the carries he's had the past 3 years his time is coming due. 2 more seasons at 4.5-5 million is nice but not nearly as nice as $8-$10 million per season (what CJ2K got last year). I think the big contract the Jags gave Marcedes Lewis before last season peeved MJD a bit too.
I have MJD on my team and I think I'm going to keep him. John Clayton from ESPN reported today that he thinks Jones-Drew will be in camp despite not reaching a new contract. There's too much to lose for him.
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Will Maurice Jones-Drew report to camp? Jaguars head coach unsure Mularkey: Not going to be distracted; report date Thursday Posted: July 23, 2012 - 7:44pm | Updated: July 24, 2012 - 8:37am By Vito Stellino
Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said Monday he doesn’t know if running back Maurice Jones-Drew will arrive on Thursday when the Jaguars players report for the start of training camp.
Mularkey said he hasn’t been in contact with Jones-Drew, who skipped the entire off season program because he wants a new contract.
“Every player had to sign that they got the information in regards to training camp. Somebody signed at the (Jones-Drew) household we sent it to. Everybody is aware of when it starts, when they have to be here.’’ Mularkey said.
Mularkey declined to say if he will impose a $30,000 a day fine if Jones-Drew, the NFL’s leading rusher last season, holds out. That is the maximum fine allowed for signed players who miss training camp.
Asked if he supports the team’s position that Jones-Drew should honor the final two years of his contract, Mularkey said, “I’m OK with the way everything has gone down. The one thing I will not do is send a message through the media. I hopefully will never do that by accident. We’ll deal with the players who are here and are hoping he is one of them.’’
Rashad Jennings will be the starting running back if Jones-Drew doesn’t arrive.
Maurice Jones-Drew won't report Updated: July 26, 2012, 9:55 AM ET ESPN.com news services
Unhappy with his contract, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew will not report Thursday to Jacksonville's training camp, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Jaguars have said they will not renegotiate Jones-Drew's deal, which has two years and roughly $9 million left on it.
Jacksonville can fine Jones-Drew $30,000 each day of training camp that he misses.
But by not showing up Thursday, Jones-Drew would deliver his loudest and clearest message to date about how determined he is to land a contract he believes is fair.
It sets up a showdown between the NFL's defending rushing champion (and the league's leading rusher the past three years) and a franchise that is dependent on and built around its Pro Bowl running back.
Jones-Drew has rushed for more than 1,300 yards in each of the past three seasons, and he led the league in rushing last year with 1,606 yards. No other back has amassed 1,300-plus rushing yards in each of the past three years.
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