Maurice Jones-Drew Skips Mandatory Minicamp, Wants A Better Contract
Maurice Jones-Drew had a career year with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season while rushing for 1,606 yards, now he wants the Jaguars to give him a new contract worth upwards of $100 million dollars.
Jones-Drew is currently in the final two years of a five-year contract worth $31 million. Under current terms Jones-Drew is scheduled to earn $4.45 million in 2012-2013 and then $4.95 million from 2013-2014. According to sources close to the deal Maurice is willing to hold out until he receives more money
Jones-Drew skipped a mandatory minicamp as part of his contract dispute but general manager Gene Smith said on Monday that the Jaguars have no placed to renegotiate Jones-Drew’s current deal, a move that could lead to a lengthy holdout.
Sources say Jones-Drew wants to be one of the highest paid running back in the league and is willing to hold out until that happens. When he signed his contract three years ago it was considered massive, however since that time Adrian Peterson has received a seven-year deal worth $100 million while other running backs including Chris Johnson and LeSean McCoy also received far superior contracts.
In the meantime Maurice Jones-Drew can be fined up to $60,000 if he misses all of this weeks minicamp.
Jones-Drew has remained in the top 5 running backs for the last three years in terms of rushing yards, yet the Jaguars won’t budge on his current pay.
Do you think Maurice Jones-Drew deserves a new contract or have the Jacksonville Jaguars been smart in sticking to their contractual guns so to speak?
