In his first press conference as a member of the New York Jets, James Robinson said the Jacksonville Jaguars used “knee soreness” as an excuse to bench him in favor of Travis Etienne. But on Thursday, Robinson made it clear that his displeasure with the way his last week in Jacksonville went doesn’t mean he’s holding any grudges against the franchise or its fans.
In a letter addressed to Duval that was posted on The Players’ Tribune, Robinson thanked the team and Jaguars fans for helping to launch his NFL career. Here’s an excerpt from his post, which can be read in full here:
We had our struggles, no way around that. My injury was very tough and came at the worst time. But even with those adversities, I’ll also look back on being a Jaguar with so many positive feelings.
I felt like I found different parts of my game and showed what I was capable of. I’m proud of how I came back from my Achilles. And I felt love from Jags fans every step of the way, I really did. I heard the cheers outside the facility, I saw my name on a few jerseys at The Bank. There are some great people in Duval, and great football people. The support meant a lot to me. And it still does, even on my way out.
And things are looking better for the Jags — the sky’s the limit for those guys. Even with these losses, there’s a lot of buy-in. Trev, Travis … and they got some boys on D … they’ll continue to be game changers for a long time. It’s a good culture. And I feel proud to have been a part of that.
Robinson signed off by wishing the Jaguars luck for the rest of the 2022 season, although he did write “except on December 22” when the Jets host the Jaguars in Week 16.
In 35 career games with the Jaguars, Robinson rushed for 2,177 yards and 18 touchdowns along with 612 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions. The sixth-round pick the Jaguars received for Robinson will be elevated to a fifth-rounder if Robinson reaches 600 rushing yards this season.