INDIANAPOLIS -- Justin Blackmon's future with the Jacksonville Jaguars remains up in the air.
Coming off a season that saw him suspended indefinitely without pay for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, the third-year wide receiver is eligible for reinstatement in 2014 -- but the Jags aren't banking on his return.
"I think if he comes back, it's a luxury for us," general manager David Caldwell told Around The League on Thursday. "If he doesn't, we have to have a contingency plan. I think we're going to go business as usual. If he comes back, that's a bonus."
Caldwell said the Jaguars haven't been in regular contact with Blackmon, citing "certain rules that we have to abide by" from the NFL Players Association and the league office.
From a bookkeeping angle, Jacksonville can call Blackmon a "luxury" because of the player's unique contract stipulating that the Jaguars can release him without owing another cent. Still, this isn't a roster that can wave farewell to a bona-fide talent.
Before his suspension, Blackmon topped Chris Wesseling's weekly "Making the Leap"Â list because of his post-catch playmaking ability that popped off the screen during game-tape review. If he doesn't make it back onto the field, Blackmon's absence will be felt heavily by a young team still searching for an anchoring force on the offensive side of the ball.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" discusses controversial draft prospects Johnny Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney and reviews the offseason forecasts for the St. Louis Rams and Carolina Panthers.
