Deal protest: Jacksonville Jaguars’ RB Maurice Jones-Drew appears set on lengthy holdout – NFL News
The stage appears set for a potentially lengthy holdout by Jacksonville Jaguars’ running back Maurice Jones-Drew as the stakeholders are nowhere closer to finding a solution to the player’s compelling new deal demand matter.
The Jaguars are opening their training activity formally this Thursday and according to coach Mike Mularkey, he is not aware if the RB will show up at training camp. There were no signs of such a move by the player, until Tuesday at least.
Mike said he has not been in contact with Maurice lately and did not offer any further comments on the player’s choice of skipping training camp.
Further, the official did not hint at if he is going to exercise his authority to impose the fine of $30,000 on the player for each day he misses the camp. It is the maximum fine allowed by the professional league regulator, National Football League (NFL).
Maurice, shortly referred as MJD, has missed the entire offseason programme of the team in protest to his demand of a long-term and better valued deal.
The issue does not seem to be resolved despite the fact that training camp is just around the corner and the player willing to stay on the holdout.
In one of his earlier remarks, Jaguars general manager Gene Smith had said that the management was less likely to renegotiate terms for MJD because he still had two years left to serve on the previous contract.
Mularkey has apparently kept himself at distance from the controversy but said he expected the player to show up at training camp. Since it is the first full training camp of the coach - he joined the team in January this year - he said he wants all players
to be present at the camp.
Although he did not elaborate if he is going introduce some new aspects to the overall training plan, it is always the most likely case when a coach starts with a new team for the first time.
Jones-Drew is into second last year of his previously agreed five-year, $31 million deal. He will earn $4.45 million this year and is due to make another $4.95 in 2013.
Irrespective of how long the player is going to hold out of the team’s programme, the Jaguars are least likely to go on any further or major spending spree on the player’s deal under the new owner Shahid Khan.
Some commentators believe the situation leads to doubt that the player will have another solution than to play under the same terms this season.
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