The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Leonard Fournette 4th overall in 2017 hoping to make him their superstar of the future. But only 3 seasons in, the Jags cut the former LSU Tiger after not finding a trade partner for him. Fournette recently had an honest admission of being cut.
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Fournette was the first RB drafted in a running class that included Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, Kareem Hunt, Joe Mixon, and many more studs. But in his rookie season, Fournette definitely lived up to the hype.
The 2017 RB class was STACKED 💪 pic.twitter.com/tCzOEMmxA9
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 8, 2019
The Jaguars have released Leonard Fournette.
The 25-year-old running back was drafted by Jacksonville with the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/qf89lAQqFD
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) August 31, 2020
Fournette was the lead back for the No.1 rushing attack in the league his rookie year. He had over 1,300 yards from scrimmage as the Jags made the AFC championship game. And then had another career year in 2019 after having 1,674 yards from scrimmage before being cut the following offseason.
Leonard Fournette spoke about his mindset after being cut
Fournette ended being picked up by Tampa Bay Buccaneers and went on to win the Super Bowl in 2020. But he hasn’t forgotten about how awful he felt after being cut.
Appearing on ESPN’s Jalen & Jacoby, Fournette said that it took him a while to get his “rhythm” back. He said the cut bothered him even after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him.
“I think when I got cut, it kind of just set me back to what I used to do,” Fournette said, via JoeBucsfan. “You know, I had to get my rhythm back. It was bothering me all through the season when I got signed by the Buccaneers. Every day, I’m like, ‘Damn, I really got cut.’ So it was bothering me, too. So I had to just get my mind right, get adjusted. I was still new here, too.”
Injuries and conduct problems were an issue during his three-year tenure with the Jaguars. He was suspended in 2018 and missed several games due to injury during his time there. However, Fournette ended up being a vital piece in the Bucs’ Super Bowl run and the Jags ended up with a 1-15 record. So it looks like Fournete ended up in a better place in the end.
