Running back Maurice Jones-Drew announced his retirement from the NFL in March, but now it appears that he will have a retirement ceremony thrown for him by his long-time team, the Jacksonville Jaguars.
ESPN’s Mike DiRocco reports that Jones-Drew will sign a one-day contract with the Jaguars on Tuesday and retire a member of the team he spent eight of his nine NFL seasons with. He spent 2014 with the Oakland Raiders, where he rushed just 43 times for 96 yards and caught 11 passes for 71 yards.
Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of Jones-Drew’s yards and touchdowns came as a member of the Jaguars. He has a career total of 1,847 carries for 8,168 yards and 68 touchdowns. He has also caught 346 passes for 2,944 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Jones-Drew was named to the Pro Bowl three times in his career and was also a First-Team All-Pro in 2011, when he led the league in touches, rushing attempts and rushing yards. He was often the most talented player on the field for the Jaguars in some of their leaner years. He was also well-known for his embracing of fantasy football, often drafting himself to his own team.
Jones-Drew gave the Jaguars the best years of his career and now the Jaguars will repay him the favor, giving him the one-day contract that allows him to retire as one of their own.
Photo: USA Today Sports