Maurice Jones-Drew Retires: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Three-time Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew has decided to call it a career after nine years in the NFL.  

Jones-Drew took to Twitter Thursday to announce his retirement:   

Prior to playing his final season with the Oakland Raiders, where he had just 54 total touches in 12 games, Jones-Drew was the face of the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise.

NFL on CBS noted how Jones-Drew's name is prominent in the Jaguars' record books:

Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley provided a statement on Jones-Drew, via Tad Dickman of Jaguars.com:

Jacksonville chose Jones-Drew in the second round (60th overall) of the 2006 NFL draft out of UCLA, and he wound up being quite the bargain. Despite being listed at just 5'7", defenders often wanted no part of tackling him when he was in his prime.    

Thanks to a thickly built lower body and a contact-seeking running style, Jones-Drew made himself into a formidable NFL feature back. His best years were from 2009 to 2011, when he ran for no fewer than 1,300 yards each season.

Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman praised Jones-Drew upon hearing of his decision to retire:

Although the Jags made just one playoff appearance in Jones-Drew's time with the team, he remained fiercely loyal to the organization and did all he could amid a quarterback situation that was never sorted out during his tenure.

RaidersBeat.com referenced the salary-cap implications of Thursday's news:

Bill Williamson of ESPN.com analyzed what Jones-Drew's retirement means for the Raiders moving forward:

Jones-Drew finishes his NFL playing days with 8,167 yards rushing on 4.4 yards per carry with 68 touchdowns, along with 346 receptions for 2,944 yards and an additional 11 scores receiving.

The Raiders will be without Jones-Drew and may not have Darren McFadden back either since he will hit free agency. That leaves the door open for talented tailback Latavius Murray to take over atop the depth chart.

Running backs have become less valued in recent years. Most have short shelf lives, and Jones-Drew retiring just short of his 30th birthday is proof of that—and he had quite a successful career in his own right.

Thus, even though Oakland is likely losing two backs in Jones-Drew and McFadden, who've shown elite skill sets in the past, its priority will be upgrading other areas of the roster with ample cap space to work with.