Maurice Jones-Drew: Jaguars Smart to Hold Firm with Star RB During Holdout

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a mess right now. They are a poorly constructed team with a lot of young players who need time before they will succeed in the NFL. On the whole, there is not a lot to be excited about with this franchise right now. 

The only thing the Jaguars have going for them is running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Actually, it should be "had," because his holdout is showing no signs of ending soon. 

MJD's holdout has lasted throughout training camp and the preseason. Jaguars owner Shad Khan has gone on record as saying that it is on the player to get into camp and ready to play the games. 

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Jags owner Shad Khan on Jones-Drew still being absent: "Train is leaving the station. Run, get on it."

— Eugene Frenette (@GeneFrenette) August 21, 2012"

Considering that Jones-Drew was able to lead the league in rushing yards by a significant margin--he had 238 more than Ray Rice--it is obvious the time for him to negotiate is right now. His value to the Jaguars will never be higher than it is at this precise moment. 

Think about it: This franchise is breaking in a second-year quarterback in Blaine Gabbert, a rookie wide receiver in Justin Blackmon and coming off a brutal 5-11 season that could have been much worse had the defense not played as well as it did. 

But it is precisely because of that leverage Jones-Drew has that the Jaguars should not even discuss a new contract with their superstar running back. 

Before the 2009 season, Jones-Drew signed a five-year contract extension. He has lived up to that deal, to say the least, and his $4.45 million base salary this year and $4.95 million salary next year are bargains. 

However, Jones-Drew was the one who agreed to the deal. He has every right to ask for more money, but the Jaguars are perfectly within their right to tell him that he already has a contract. 

Plus, how often do long-term, big money extensions with running backs really work out? Do you think the Titans feel good right now about the deal they gave Chris Johnson last year? How about the Vikings, who gave Adrian Peterson a deal that can approach $100 million and he tore his ACL in the penultimate game of the regular season last December?

Despite the talk that the Jaguars could just trade Jones-Drew, general manager Gene Smith left no doubt about where the All-Pro running back stands to Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union.. 

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When Smith was asked by the Times-Union before the team's annual Kickoff Luncheon if there was any chance of a trade if he doesn't show up for the regular season, he said, "Maurice is a Jaguar.''

Smith was then asked, "So you are not considering trading him?" He replied, "No.''

And you won't consider trading him?

"He's a Jaguar,'' Smith said.

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The Jaguars actually have more leverage than you might think in this whole thing. Sure, they will come off as the bad guys because fans are frustrated with where the team is at right now, and Jones-Drew is the only reason to watch the Jaguars, but that losing might serve them well in this case. 

If the Jaguars were playoff or Super Bowl contenders, they would have no choice but to get Jones-Drew on the field because he is that important. With no real expectations surrounding the team entering the year, they know that his presence isn't going to make that much of a difference. 

Plus, they can plug someone else into the starting lineup who won't cost as much as Jones-Drew is right now and see if they can strike gold. If they do, then all the pressure falls back on MJD because they won't need him. 

The Jaguars don't owe Jones-Drew anything. They signed him to a contract that Jones-Drew thought was fair three years ago. Just because he wants more money now doesn't mean the team has to give it to him. 

This franchise needs to worry about the players that it does have--specifically, Gabbert--to build something for the future. That future would be a little brighter if Jones-Drew was playing, but his absence won't change anything that they are doing right now. 

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