10 NFL stars playing for a huge payday in 2021

9. RB Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars

The fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft has been somewhat of an enigma. There was a solid rookie year in which he helped the Jacksonville Jaguars lead the league in rushing and was part of the team that reached the AFC Championship Game.

One year later, running back Leonard Fournette missed half of the season. But in 2019, the former LSU Tiger was a busy man and showed what he was capable of.

In ’19, the 6’0”, 228-pound performer led Doug Marrone’s club in rushing yards (1,152) and receptions (76) and finished sixth in the NFL with 1,674 yards from scrimmage. But he only scored three touchdowns in 15 outings. And in late May (courtesy of John Oesher of Jaguars), the organization decided not to pick up the fifth-year option on the former LSU standout.

At a recent press conference (via the South Florida Tribune), new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden had this to say about Fournette. “As a player, I know he’s a powerful guy with a lot of speed. I did a lot of work on him coming out of LSU and obviously his statistics, his durability, everything was status quo. He’s a great player and everything you’ve seen on tape with Jacksonville, his production last year was excellent, and so far so good. He’s been working hard. He’s learning our new system and I’m excited to work with him.”