It’s me, Travis.  You don’t know me, but I know you. I know you well enough to refer to you by Mojo, a nickname I use mostly because typing Maurice Jones-Drew every time takes too long.

I’ve been a fan of yours since you first arrived in Jacksonville in 2006.  I welcomed you as our starting running back when the greatest Jaguar, Fred Taylor, left the team. I’ve even defended you when people said you were too small to be a great running back in the NFL.

I haven’t had much to say about your current situation, but I cannot keep my mouth shut any longer.

Let me start by asking you this question; what in the hell are you doing?

Holding out for more money with two years left on your contract?  Really?

I might expect this type of move from an egomaniac like Terrell Owens or Darrelle Revis, but not you.

In the past you have proven to be the quintessential team player willing to sacrifice yourself for the betterment of the team. You even played an entire season with a torn ligament in your knee.

This isn’t the Mojo I know.

Although I don’t agree, I can understand some of the reasons why you are choosing to hold out.

You had a phenomenal season in 2011, rushing for a league leading 1,606 yards, and yet you are the 9th highest paid RB in the NFL. You also know you are the face of the Jaguars and the team’s only legitimate superstar on a small market team, so you think you have some leverage.

Lastly, you know that this is your last chance at a big payday.  When your contract is up after the 2013 season, you will be 30, an age that historically marks the beginning of the end for feature backs.

With all of that being said, I still think you need to get your ass back to the field.

You signed the contract, now honor it.

You made nearly 22 million dollars in the last three seasons, including a 3.5 million dollar signing bonus.  Not too shabby.

If you didn’t like it, you shouldn’t have signed it.  I’m sorry that you outplayed your contract, but if anything you should be mad at your agent.  He should have drafted a contract that was loaded with performance bonuses that would compensate you for accomplishing feats such leading the league in rushing or making the Pro Bowl.

What you have failed to realize is that the Jaguars don’t need you to be a bad team.  They have missed the playoffs every year since you have been the starter, and they can do it without you.

I hate to tell you this MJD, but you might be a little out of your league when it comes to negotiating.  Squaring up with new owner Shad Kahn, a man who negotiates million-dollar business as often as most of us brush our teeth, might not be a great idea.

Yahoo Sports quoted Khan as saying, “I’ve been involved in many kind of industrial business dealings.  I’ve encountered strikes and violence. Believe me, on a zero-to-10 level of stress, this doesn’t even move the needle.”

I don’t think you can run over Khan the same way you run over NFL linebackers.

It’s time to cut your losses my friend, which right now equals almost one million dollars in fines.

If you do decide to come back to the team, everyone will surely forgive you.  By the time you score your first touchdown, no one will even remember the holdout.

Jags fans will simply go back to taking about the anomaly that is Shad Khan’s mustache.

Come back to the team old friend, and we can pretend none of this ever happened.  I’m not ready to trade in my Jones-Drew #32 jersey for Rashad Jennings #23.

Sincerely,

Loyal Jaguars Fan

Travis Gibson