Fresh from the for-what-it’s-worth department, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports Thursday afternoon that Jacksonville Jaguars free agent running back Maurice Jones-Drew is currently seeking a contract that will pay him an average of $3.5 a season.
Jones-Drew visited with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday and Thursday, but has reportedly left those meetings unsigned.
While Jones-Drew is reportedly healthy now, he has missed 11 games over the course of the last two seasons and was slowed last year by a hamstring injury. In addition, he’s already carried the ball over 1,800 times during his first eight seasons in the league.
We shall see if the longtime Jaguars running back winds up finding a team to pay him that kind of money.
Last offseason, the Atlanta Flacons signed then-29-year-old running back Steven Jackson to a three-year, $12 million contract that included $4 million guaranteed of which a $3.5 million was a signing bonus. Because of the structure of that deal, Jackson’s 2013 cap charge was $2,916,666. Jackson, however was signed to be a starter. If Jones wants that kind of money, one would think he’d only get it if he were to start.
Jackson, by the way, only played in 12 games last season and rushed for just 543 yards on 157 carries. Jones-Drew will turn 29 in a few days.
Maurice Jones Drew currently seeking about $3.5M/year. His career accomplishments are great but as older RB in this market could be tough
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 20, 2014