On the same night that Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay stoked a trade rumor that we naturally can connect to Maurice Jones-Drew, the Jaguars running back said he hopes to stay in Jacksonville.
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"It's a part of the business, but I'd rather be here," Jones-Drew said Thursday during a promotional appearance at a Jacksonville car dealership, via WTEV-TV. "I'd rather stay here with my team, my family. I talk to my teammates every day, my kids go to school here, I'm rooted here in Jacksonville with the NFL. I'd love to end my career here in Jacksonville, but part of the business is sometimes you can't do things you want."
To be clear, Jones-Drew wasn't responding to a question about Irsay's tweets. Ultimately, Jones-Drew will go to any team that's willing to give him a new contract. If the Colts were willing to pony up a draft pick and big cash, Jones-Drew would be in Indianapolis.
Jones-Drew sounded hopeful a resolution could be reached when asked if he was going to miss the season opener.
"I don't think we're there yet (missing a regular-season game)," he said. "We're moving forward to doing something. It's day by day. I hope we can get something done."
Despite all the sound, fury and rumors involved, we still expect Jones-Drew in uniform with the Jaguars by Week 1.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
