Maurice Jones-Drew Officially Retires as a Jaguar

Maurice Jones-Drew ended his NFL career officially with the Jacksonville Jaguars, signing a one-day contract on Tuesday to hang up his cleats with the team that drafted him and nurtured him into one of the greatest players at his position over the last decade.

MJD finished his career with 8167 rushing yards, 68 rushing touchdowns, and an additional 2944 receiving yards and 11 receiving TDs. All but one year was spent with the Jaguars.

While with the Jags, Jones-Drew earned a reputation as a powerful runner who played bigger than his 5’7″ frame. He would bowl over defenders, bounce off of tacklers, and continually churn his legs to get into the end zone or grind out tough yards. It was an absolute pleasure to watch him play. He was the team’s leading rusher from 2008-2013, picking up for Fred Taylor at the end of the latter’s tenure with the Jags and making sure the offense didn’t miss a beat on the ground.

Maurice Jones-Drew’s dedication to the Jaguars and to the offense enabled him to win the rushing title in 2011 despite an absolutely inept passing attack that saw the Jaguars finish 32nd in passing yards and 32nd in overall yards. MJD put up 1606 yards that season despite being the only credible threat on the team.

MJD's kids crash his interview with @jpshadrick. #Drewval pic.twitter.com/nBreaBNjC6
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) April 28, 2015

We Jaguars fans have been blessed with some quality running backs for the past two decades. Maurice Jones-Drew was so much more than a flash in the pan back. He provided consistency for the offense and he brought his way of doing things to the NFL and made everyone adapt to him. Letting him lead the franchise was a smart thing to do.

It was a pleasure, Maurice. Good luck in everything you do going forward.

Next: Can Denard Robinson be the Number 1 RB, Now?

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