The Jacksonville Jaguars have already ridded themselves of several veterans from their 2017-19 squad and with the draft coming up, others could follow. Of course, the name that most are aware of is disgruntled defensive end Yannick Ngakoue but it appears he may not be alone as Leonard Fournette’s name has also been discussed on the trade block.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Jaguars are open to possibly shipping the former No. 4 overall pick, with multiple teams interested in the 25 year-old.
Jaguars have had trade discussions with other teams regarding RB Leonard Fournette, league sources tell ESPN. Fournette is due $4.16 million in base salary in 2020. It's a situation that bears watching as this week's draft approaches.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 18, 2020
Fournette is approaching the final year of his rookie deal and is scheduled to make $4.16 million in 2020. That’s a figure he’ll make despite having had his guarantees voided by former front office executive Tom Coughlin following a string of disciplinary infringements.
This news concerning Fournette comes after he recently raised some eyebrows this week by publicly stating his desire for free agent Cam Newton to join the Jaguars. However, he later came out to clarify that his pitch for Newton was simply to better the team by adding competition.
Whilst he has struggled to build upon his impressive rookie season, last year Fournette managed to add a different dimension to his game, leading the team in receptions with 76. He also was able to garner 265 touches for 1,152 rushing yards (a career-high), and three touchdowns.
The Jaguars already own 12 picks in this year’s draft and have done their due diligence on the running back position, perhaps in preparation for life without their running back. If he is moved prior to the draft, Fournette would join the long list of players from the 2017 AFC Championship game to leave Jacksonville over the span of the last five months like A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell, Jalen Ramsey, and perhaps Ngakoue.