The placement of Maurice Jones-Drew on injured reserve wasn’t simply aimed at clearing a roster spot for the last game of the regular season.
Jones-Drew will now have surgery, and he’ll be out of action until May.
Coach Mike Mularkey explained Friday that Jones-Drew tried to run on Monday, but that he complained of lingering soreness. So they sent him to Charlotte for further evaluation by Dr. Bob Anderson, who recommended surgery.
Specifically, Jones-Drew will be out until late May or early June, according to Mularkey. That will cause Jones-Drew to miss most if not all of the offseason program.
With a salary of $4.95 million in 2013 and lingering tension regarding his deal -- and with possibly new tension regarding the fact that if surgery was needed it should have happened weeks ago -- the stage could be set for a divorce.