Leonard Fournette landing spots: Patriots, Buccaneers lead the top five – CBS Sports

The marital relationship was rocky in between Leonard Fournette and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and theyre now separated. In an effort to move on in the past now, they put out trade feelers, however head coach Doug Marrone says the club could not get a single draft choice– late and/or conditional– for Fournette, leaving them no other choice in his eyes.
Enter Fournette, a proven NFL skill who also drew the ire of the Jaguars organization for rebuking Gardner Minshew this offseason and informing the group to sign Cam Newton rather. Contrarily, even a dissatisfied Fournette on the most poisonous team in football produced in a big way, so imagine what he might do if included to a group with a gaining culture who also requires him to help lead the way. With Guice now released following an unpleasant detailing of domestic violence claims, theres a free seat ready and waiting for Fournette.

Sign Fournette on an incentive-laden prove-it offer to challenge Peterson for reps. If he cant vanquish an aging Peterson, take what you get from him in production and carry on in the offseason. If, nevertheless, Fournette hits prime kind and pushes Peterson out of the method, the test drive shows successful, and there could be a multi-year re-up for the 25-year-old– possibly tethering him to Dwayne Haskins for the next numerous seasons and assisting to create a solid offending corps for the future.
The greatest risk here is, of the teams discussed, Washington is least likely to be a winner in 2020; however Fournette cant precisely be too fussy as he frantically requires to reconstruct his brand, and pronto.

Its an achievable offer economically also, due to the fact that although the Bucs have a little $2.24 million in cap area currently– through Overthecap.com– Fournette isnt in position to command big money. An one-year prove-it offer would give him the chance to sign up with a club on the brink of ending up being a winner, on an offense filled with getting talent, under a tested head coach, behind a six-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, and ideal next door to the team he loathes in North Florida. Its perfect for Fournette, genuinely, and he could parlay a vibrant 2020 into a multi-year handle the RB-needy Bucs next offseason.
As far as future tense goes, should he remain, the Bucs would delight in seeing a rotation that includes Fournette, Ronald Jones, II and young talent like either KeShawn Vaughn or Raymond Calais, so this really becomes increasingly more of a no-brainer if you believe about it. Tampa Bay is all in on winning a Super Bowl in 2020, and finalizing Fournette would play right into that story.
Miami Dolphins.
If youre being in the front office in Miami and youre reading this, pick up the phone.

Combining Fournette with Brown is merely clever football business, presuming McVay and Co. can keep the former fourth-overall pick a pleased camper, by way of guaranteeing hes the lead back. Its when Fournette gets disgruntled that things go dark, but thats why they call it being “dissatisfied”.
Washington Football Team.

A fresh start is typically the ideal medication for gamers exiting Jacksonville, and going from the Jaguars to the Patriots could see Fournette refocused and rededicated to torching defenses. He d also go a long way to guaranteeing Belichick has insurance coverage at RB1, and the chemistry with Newton need to be readymade..
Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That guy who utilized to be the quarterback of the Patriots and is now in Tampa would enjoy a beefy RB.
True, the Bucs are trying to appease Tom Brady by signing LeSean McCoy to a 1 year offer, but McCoy lost his area to a young halfback in Kansas City before being shelved in the Super Bowl. And if McCoy is being predicted by anyone to be the teams lead back for Week 1, well, that just drives house my point regarding concern at the position. Including Fournette would keep him in Florida, where theres no state tax, something hes sure to be crazy about when considering he will require to keep as a lot of his coins near as possible in case he loses the $4 million grievance versus the Jaguars, and puts him with Brady and Bruce Arians– 2 people who are unequivocal in what they demand from gamers (both in character and in production)..

Finally, but likewise of considerable significance, is the truth getting Fournette would remove the Patriots ability to do so. Thats not a primary reason to make the move, but it is most absolutely something to help sustain the inspiration to sign him, considering Miami is wanting to finally take the AFC East crown in 2020– having actually not done so since 2008 and accomplishing the objective just twice because the turn of the century.
Get the phone.
Los Angeles Rams.
Todd Gurley is gone.
Breaking news, I know, but its a suggestion that the Rams could use a bully in the backfield for 2020. Even with lowered usage in 2019, Gurley still led the group with 1,064 lawns from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns. You can enjoy the potential of Malcolm Brown and still point out the reality he published just 271 yards from scrimmage and five goals last season. Now that hes the feature back in Los Angeles, the added associates will undoubtedly trigger those numbers to increase, but its not an assurance hell unexpectedly acquire 1,200 rushing yards in his first season as the leading dog. In his five-year career, Brown has actually never ever hurried for more than the 255 lawns he delivered in 2019, and had only two touchdowns in the 4 seasons prior– before his career-best 5 in 2015.
Contrarily, even a dissatisfied Fournette on the most hazardous group in football produced in a big method, so imagine what he might do if contributed to a group with a winning culture who likewise requires him to help lead the way. There are other bodies in the Rams RB space, and they are talented also (e.g., Darrell Henderson, second-round rookie Cam Akers), but the football resume simply isnt there for them either. This is a scenario where including Fournette creates a definitive focal point for opposing defenses that will take pressure off of Jared Goff, and open the death game as Sean McVay intends.

You like the advantage on Myles Gaskin, but select up the phone. You see something in Patrick Laird, but pi- … you get the point here. With the issue of quarterback now relatively resolved and Tua Tagovailoa preparing to be the face of the franchise for the next half years or more, he requires some assistance in the backfield.
Thats as awful as the witch who provided Snow White the apple, however a minimum of she had an apple. Prior to including Breida and Howard, the RB space was in dire straits, and it still cant be viewed as “elite” for 2020. Breida did good ideas for the 49ers, however hes not the offensive bully Fournette is. Howard is a bit of a different story, seeing as he has two 1,000-yard rushing seasons under his belt, however a tandem of Fournette and Howard is just feels downright more impactful than Breida and Howard in a rideshare capability..
And the Dolphins require the most effective one-two punch they can get to assist Tagovailoa. From there, the club could use Breida as both insurance coverage and a spell RB, while developing some of the more youthful skill behind the trio.

The marital relationship was rocky in between Leonard Fournette and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and theyre now divorced. The team waived its previous fourth-overall badger Monday, ending an irreversible relationship that likewise saw the Jaguars decline his fifth-year choice months back, which meant things to come. In an attempt to move on before now, they put out trade feelers, but head coach Doug Marrone states the club could not get a single draft pick– late and/or conditional– for Fournette, leaving them no other choice in his eyes.
Obviously, Marrone making that public didnt do any favors for Fournettes brand name en route out, however its apropos for such a harmful relationship. And with that, Fournette goes from being among the most heralded draft prospects in recent memory simply 3 years ago, to a little a pariah. The smell of the latter might [also] be quickly credited to a going to pieces Jaguars club the has been forced to jettison a laundry list of leading skill over the previous couple of seasons, considering the NFLPA complaint versus now-fired Tom Coughlin and all matter of offense that came from his actions that led to it, together with the reality the Jaguars just have not been a winning team because reaching the AFC Championship Game in Fournettes very first year.
Theyre 11-21 because that trip, and the turnover has been massive. And one day after trading protective end Yannick Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings– after he declined to ever again play in Jacksonville and subsequently took a $5 million pay cut to leave– its now Fournette heading out of the door..
But where to? Here are five groups who need to seriously think about tossing him a jersey for 2020.

New England Patriots.
Believe about this for a minute, and itll make sense to you.
Yes, the Patriots currently have a beginning running back in Sony Michel, a previous first-round pick himself, however they have not genuinely had the ability to depend on him because getting him with the 31st-overall choice in 2018. Michel has actually regularly fought injury over the course of his first 2 seasons in the NFL, and its currently cost him numerous games. Its also dampened his production when on the field a bit, because while his 1,987 career yards from scrimmage mark (with 13 goals) is nothing to shake a stick at, hes yet to reach his complete potential. The Patriots are also now seeing him duke it out with former third-round pick Damien Harris in camp, after Michel began camp on the groups PUP list following offseason foot surgical treatment.
Get in Fournette, a tested NFL talent who likewise drew the ire of the Jaguars company for rebuking Gardner Minshew this offseason and telling the team to sign Cam Newton instead. Thats the very same Cam Newton who will likely start for the Patriots when the regular season opens, by the way, if you smell what The Rock is cooking. The only question here is character, however Bill Belichick isnt afraid to roll those dice, and even less so when the player has 3,640 profession lawns from skirmish and 19 goals in three seasons.

This group has been stacking running backs all offseason, so why stop now?
They tried benching Peterson in Week 1 of the 2019 season to give previous second-round pick Derrious Guice, however were required to offer the reins back to Peterson in Week 2 and beyond due to yet another injury to Guice. With Guice now released following an unpleasant detailing of domestic violence allegations, theres a free seat ready and waiting for Fournette.
Rookie third-round choice Antonio Gibson helps the space, however hes not taken a snap in the NFL simply yet, and theres no preseason for him to acclimate faster; so put a pin because. Bryce Love, Peyton Barber and J.D. McKissic all have skill, but you could roll them together into a ball and wouldnt equal what Fournette has done at the NFL level. For all the bodies in the RB room in Washington, Peterson is the only one that would strike any sort of fear into the heart of a defense, and hes perhaps on his escape in 2021.

Pete Prisco and host Will Brinson break down the Jags cutting Fournette on the Pick Six Podcast; listen listed below and make sure to subscribe for day-to-day NFL goodness.