I can tell you this, if The Jacksonville Jaguars let Maurice Jones-Drew get away, it would be a huge mistake. But the word around the league is that MJD might be open to a possible trade. And from his point of view, who could really blame him.
Jacksonville was dead last in the league in passing in 2011, though Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing.
The Jaguars at least recognized the disparity, and went away from the theme of drafting players no one has heard of, and brought in a big time playmaker at receiver in Justin Blackmon. Blackmon should definitely helped out second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who Jacksonville spent their first round pick on in 2011 to the surprise of many.
There is no question that Jacksonville has a long way to go to be a contender again, but Jones-Drew is the cornerstone to helping make that happen.
If the the Jaguars have any chance of contending this year, they will need to lock their running back down.
Despite the fact that Houston is set as the favorite to win the division in the AFC South, it’s still considered pretty open with Indianapolis, Tennessee, and of course the Jaguars.
I thought it would be pretty exciting for the Jaguars this season with the addition of of Blackmon. He is a big receiver who is a lot like Calvin Johnson, or Andre johnson. His presence should excite MJD the most of anyone, maybe with the exception of Gabbert, who might actually have a playmaker on the outside.
My expectation is that Jones-Drew will won’t be traded from Jacksonville.
The Jaguars aren’t a playoff team yet this season, but losing Jones-Drew would set them back even further.
It should be interesting to see how the season goes for Jacksonville in 2012, as they try to get back to contending in their division.