Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette long had a tumultuous relationship with the team that selected him fourth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.
He eventually went on the wrong side of the team's front office which caused them to decline the fifth-year option of his contract that would have secured him through the 2021 season. They did their due diligence and attempted to scour trade partners for several months to no avail.
Fournette's situation is nothing new to Jaguars fans as the team has already had a long history of feuds with their players in recent seasons. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey was previously involved in a verbal altercation with Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone which escalated to a point where both of them had to be physically restrained from each other.
Ramsey would never play for the Jaguars again and was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick.
Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue also had a spat with the team's front office regarding his future with the team during the offseason. On March 2, 2020, Ngakoue went on Twitter to state that he wished to be traded and would not play for the Jaguars in the future.
Despite Ngakoue's request, the Jaguars placed the franchise tag on Ngakoue on March 13, 2020. On April 20, 2020, Ngakoue got in a Twitter argument with Tony Khan, the team owner’s son, because the Jaguars wouldn’t trade him. His request was finally granted when the Jaguars recently traded him to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a second-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick.
Being the third player on the list, Leonard Fournette was already expected to be let go by the team – following in the footsteps of Ramsey and Ngakoue. Parting ways with their disgruntled stars seem to be a good long-term decision on the part of the Jaguars. These players' presence will only hinder the Jaguars from cultivating a positive and winning culture in the locker room, which the team has yet to do until now.
Moreover, every football fan on the planet also knows that the Jaguars won't be winning anytime soon. The franchise seemed to have committed to going on full-tank mode the day after they narrowly missed out on a Super Bowl LII appearance. Former players namely quarterback Blake Bortles, wide receiver Allen Robinson, defensive end Calais Campbell, cornerback A.J.Bouye, and defensive tackle Malik Jackson were all previously let go by the team.
In fact, Leonard Fournette was the last remaining player from the Jaguars team that lost to the New England Patriots in the 2017 AFC Championship game. Keeping a contributor like him on the roster will only hurt the team's chances of gaining higher picks in the next NFL Draft.
After the departure of Fournette, the Jaguars seem to be hell-bent on developing the young players in their roster – minus the drama. This could be a step in the right direction towards creating a positive culture amongst the future pieces of the franchise.
At the end of the day, the franchise will have to do whatever it takes for them to accomplish their current cause. Unfortunately for Fournette, his fit with the team wasn't coinciding with the direction that they are headed to.
Looking on the bright side, it seemed like a change of scenery was necessary for the development of the two parties moving forward.
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