Running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who spent most of his NFL tenure on the Jacksonville Jaguars before signing with his hometown Oakland Raiders, has announced plans to retire. He turns 30 on March 23.
Jones-Drew made the announcement on Twitter, writing that he is “excited about and looking forward to the next chapter of my life.” He also thanked his fans for their support.
MJD spent eight seasons with the Jaguars, but signed a three-year, $7.5 million deal with the Raiders in March 2014. He did start the 2014 season as the Raiders’ starter, but he broke his hand and lost the job. As ESPN notes, he only ran for 96 yards all season.
The running-back will finish his career with 8,167 rushing yards, the sixth-most in the NFL over the past nine seasons.
With Jones-Drew retiring, the Raiders will now have over $64 million in salary cap space, meaning they could be a big player during free agency. NFL.com reports that the Raiders will meet with Ndamukong Suh, who will be a free agent after the Detroit Lions didn’t put the franchise tag on him, next week.