Can the Jacksonville Jaguars Mend Their Relationship with Maurice Jones-Drew?

Don't be ashamed if you've struggled to keep up with the holdout of Jacksonville Jaguars running Maurice Jones-Drew. The drama seems to include a new twist every day or two.

In the last 24 hours, the situation has gained a number of new developments.

At least for the Jaguars, one development includes the extension of an olive branch between the two camps. There is a sign of hope that this can still be fixed.

Just hours after the agent for Jones-Drew let Jacksonville know his client was open to being traded away from the only franchise he's ever known, Jones-Drew's camp said that they are open to mending an ever-fracturing relationship between the two sides. 

Tuesday, agent Adisa Bakari told the Associated Press (via ESPN) that his client was upset with the way Jaguars owner Shahid Khan was handling his holdout in the press. 

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Obviously, he's not happy that what started as a very cordial and private conversation is now public and contentious...Maurice wants to play for an organization that wants him and for an owner who respects him and values what he brings to a team -- on the field, in the locker room and in the community.

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The trade request came on the heels of a number of strong comments made by Khan about Jones-Drew's 27-day holdout. 

When asked about his feelings on Jones-Drew's continued absence from Jaguars camp Monday, Khan said, "The train is leaving the station. Run, get on it," according to Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union.

Last Saturday, Khan took another strong stance on the holdout. 

From Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports:

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He’s not here, and that’s his decision. Believe me, it’s not a great concern. You hope for the best, and you plan for the worst. Our goals for the season don’t change, and if he isn’t here, he isn’t here. I don’t control it. It’s his choice...Believe me, on a zero-to-10 level of stress, this doesn’t even move the needle.

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All the public hard talk was eventually too much for Jones-Drew's side to sit back and take, spawning the response from Bakari. Becoming "open" to a trade is about all Bakari had left in his negotiating tool bag. 

But even if the NFL's leading rusher in 2011 is still a little stung by Khan's comments, it appears as if the two sides will eventually mend their relationship. Jones-Drew's camp said as much Wednesday.

From Steve Wyche of NFL.com, who spoke with Bakari following the trade talk: 

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After speaking to his agent, Adisa Bakari, he’s also open to bridging what is becoming a more fractured relationship because of the comments of Khan, not only Tuesday, but late last week. The issue is who is going to extend the olive branch if there is going to be a reparation, because Jones-Drew, he is further entrenched in his holdout — he does not like the situation, the fact that Khan is discussing publicly what was supposed to be handled in private.

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It has become very clear the Jaguars are not caving on any contract demand, so it's not surprising that Jones-Drew's camp is the first to extend an olive branch here. 

Most of the time, these contract holdouts—with years left on the deal—last until around Labor Day, and then said player comes back to the team with his tail between his legs before any regular season money is lost. 

It should be expected in this situation, too. 

Jones-Drew is more than likely spending his next two seasons in Jacksonville, so mending a relationship with Khan and the Jaguars staff is a must for his side. He has no leverage; no next move in this contract holdout. 

Really, the only decision left to be made from Jones-Drew's camp is when he will report back to the Jaguars. It's that simple. 

One bargaining tool that has been discussed for Khan's side is waiving part or all of Jones-Drew's $900,000 in fines from missing 27 days of training camp and three days of a mandatory minicamp back in June. Not having to pay that lump sum could be enough to entice a player with zero leverage on his side to finally report. 

Either way, this relationship will get mended, and it will be Jones-Drew's side doing the mending. The chances of Jones-Drew getting a new contract or playing somewhere other than Jacksonville in 2012 are starting to border on impossible.