The Jaguars won three games in the preseason, but their most recent preseason victory is the only one that matters.
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew has reported to the team, ending his 38-day holdout without getting a new contract.
It’s a win for the Jaguars. Agent Adika Bakhari declined comment on the question of whether Jones-Drew received any concessions or inducements to report, which means at a minimum that Jones-Drew didn’t get a new deal, or an adjustment to his existing one.
At most, Jones-Drew can hope for a waiver or reduction of his fines, which at $30,000 per day exceed $1.1 million. That’s nearly 25 percent of his $4.45 million base salary in 2012.
Of course, if he hadn’t reported this week, Jones-Drew wouldn’t have been able to earn the first installment of his $4.45 million base salary, which is paid out in 17 checks of $261,764.70 each.
Even if the fines are waived, the holdout accomplished nothing. Jones-Drew didn’t get a new contract and doesn’t know the new offense. Both the player and the team will be affected by his absence, once the real games start in seven days.
That doesn’t change our (or at least my) relatively new attitude on player holdouts. If a player believes that he’s not receiving fair value for his performance and if he’s willing to incur the fines and risk not getting a new deal by withholding services, he has every right to stay away. Still, Jones-Drew underestimated the resolve of owner Shahid Khan -- and now the experiences of the 2011 rushing leader will provide motivation for other owners to take a similar stand in the future and a warning to other players regarding the potential consequences of swinging for the fences, and hitting only air.