As it turns out, running back Maurice Jones-Drew may have far larger aspirations than getting a new contract.
Jones-Drew has his sights set on the all-time rushing mark.
“I think it’s doable. I definitely think it’s doable,” Jones-Drew told 102.3 ESPN in Denver, via SportRadioInterviews.com. “Emmitt Smith was in a different situation than a lot of us, though. I mean, he had a Hall of Fame receiver, Hall of Fame quarterback, Hall of Fame offensive line, Hall of Fame fullback. Whoever put that team together did a heck of a job, and it just showed.”
Given the dearth of help that Jones-Drew has in Jacksonville, that could be viewed as a slap at whoever put that team together. But Jones-Drew isn’t looking for a way out via his holdout; he just wants a new contract.
“It’s the business side of football,” Jones-Drew said. “And every player is a businessman, and whatever you feel is best for you and your family, you have to do that sometimes. And so, like I said before, hopefully we can work on something and get something done. But I can’t talk about it in the media, because that’s not how I handle my business. I’d rather do it face-to-face, and that’s just what it is. It’s the side that we don’t like about the football game -- it’s not Pop Warner anymore, where it’s just show up on Saturday mornings and have a good time. In the offseason, it’s business. So that’s just where we are right now.”
That implies “business” ends when it’s time to play football, and that Jones-Drew will be on the field. If he hopes to climb from No. 55 on the all-time list with 6,854 yards to No. 1 with 18,356, he can’t afford to be missing many/any regular-season games.