Maurice Jones-Drew's Contract Squabble Seems to Be Getting Worse by the Day

One day after Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Gene Smith announced that there will be no negotiations on a new contract with running back Maurice Jones-Drew, ESPN reported this morning that Jones-Drew is expected to skip the team's mandatory minicamp starting this week.

If Jones-Drew decides to not attend the entire three-day camp, he could be fined up to $60,000 by new head coach Mike Mularkey, according to the report.

Jones-Drew has two years left on his current deal that he signed back in 2009. He is scheduled to make $4.45 million in 2012 and $4.95 million in 2013.

Despite leading the league in rushing in 2011, and being the team's only offensive weapon, Jones-Drew makes less money than Adrian Peterson, Steven Jackson, DeAngelo Williams, Arian Foster (who received a new deal this offseason), Chris Johnson and Marshawn Lynch.

Jones-Drew skipping the mandatory minicamp could be the beginning of a very long and ugly holdout for all parties involved. 

It is only June though and he is not necessarily needed at this point and time. But if this spills over training camp, that's when things will become troublesome.

Obviously, from the Jaguars' standpoint they could be without their only offensive weapon from last season. He will be needed to take pressure off young quarterback Blaine Gabbert and the new batch of receivers, which includes the talented but troubled first-rounder, Justin Blackmon.

A lengthy holdout has the potential to hurt Jones-Drew as well. For one, he could lose thousands of dollars in fines for missing mandatory team activities, especially if he misses any time during training camp.

Another way it hurts him is that it could have an adverse effect on his game on the field if he returns. We all saw the production dip Chris Johnson took after a lengthy holdout heading into 2011.

Johnson went from 1,364 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns in 2010 to 1,047 yards and only four rushing touchdowns in 2011. He rushed for a grand total of 98 yards in the first three games combined in 2011.

Jones-Drew is known for his intense work ethic, but it will still take him time to get his legs back under because there is no replicating game-speed on a practice field.

Jones-Drew will not need a heavy workload come training camp, as the team should try to reserve him for the season as his carries have gone up the last couple of seasons, but his conditioning and game tempo will need to regained during training camp.