Leonard Fournette Won't Be With The Jaguars Much Longer

Leonard Fournette and the Jacksonville Jaguars have a bad marriage and may be headed for a divorce. Sunday night we got word that things have gotten even worse.

A month ago, the Jaguars reportedly informed Fournette they were voiding all the guaranteed money remaining on his rookie contract. The team claims the move was in response to the one-game suspension he served for instigating a fight during Jacksonville’s Nov. 25 game against the Buffalo Bills.

Fournette had $7.1 million in guaranteed money left on his deal.

It seems things have been going downhill for a while, but the relationship appeared to hit a wall this week.

On Sunday, Jaguars executive vice president Tom Coughlin released the following statement after Fournette and fellow running back TJ Yeldon sat on the bench for all of the team’s Week 17 game:

"I am disappointed in the behavior today from T.J. Yeldon and Leonard Fournette. They were disrespectful, selfish and their behavior was unbecoming that of a professional football player."

Fournette was the No. 4 pick int he 2017 NFL Draft after an All-American career at LSU. He played well as a rookie last season, rushing for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns on 268 carries. It was a solid debut.

In 2018 he battled injuries and only played in 8 games. He rushed for just 350 yards and four touchdowns on 104 carries.

Now he’s 23 years old and may wind up elsewhere next season. With the guarantees in his contract voided, he’d be an attractive trade piece for other teams. If that doesn’t happen, the Jaguars could just release him.

This will be a fascinating story to watch as the offseason approaches. Fournette is a young, cheap running back who the Jaguars clearly don’t want anymore.