Running back Leonard Fournette didn’t get traded during the draft, which means that the decision about exercising the option on his contract for the 2021 season remains the Jaguars’ to make.
Word late last week was that the Jaguars won’t be doing that, although there hasn’t been an official announcement by the team at this point. Head coach Doug Marrone didn’t change that during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, but he strongly suggested that Fournette will be playing for a contract once he gets on the field this year.
“Leonard’s done a good job for us, obviously. Really looking for the best from him,” Marrone said. “I think the two things in the NFL that really get you at your best is when you create competition and when you’re going into the final year, final two years, of these contracts. You want to make sure you’re going to stay in this league for a long time and the whole goal is to get that second contract. I look at Leonard coming in here as a really motivated player.”
Fournette set career-highs with 1,152 rushing yards and 76 catches last year, but only scored three times for the 6-10 Jaguars. Finding the end zone more often would be a good way to set the stage for a contract to kick off the 2021 league year.