In a move which appears to signal the end of Maurice Jones-Drew's days with them, the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms on a three-year contract Tuesday night with running back Toby Gerhart.
The deal is worth $10.5 million, with $4.5 million guaranteed.
Gerhart didn't get an abundance of playing time with the Minnesota Vikings after spending most of his four years stuck behind All-Pro Adrian Peterson. But that means the former Stanford standout, who finished a close second in the 2009 Heisman Trophy balloting to Mark Ingram, has had considerably less wear and tear on his legs than Jones-Drew.
Gerhart, who turns 27 in two weeks, has 276 carries for his career.
Jones-Drew, who turns 29 next week, has 1,804 carries since being a second-round draft pick by the Jaguars in 2006.
Gerhart's gratitude toward the Vikings and enthusiasm about coming to the Jaguars was evident in a post he made on Twitter:
Want to thank @Vikings organization for a great 4 years... but I'm excited to get to work with the @jaguars next year! Fired up! #DUVAL!!!!!
— Toby Gerhart (@Toby_Gerhart) March 12, 2014
Jones-Drew's future remained up in the air after the first day of the NFL's free-agent signing period. One possible option seemed to dry up when the Oakland Raiders chose to re-sign Darren McFadden.
Gerhart will likely compete with Jordan Todman, Delone Carter and possibly Denard Robinson for playing time. Todman rushed for 256 yards and two touchdowns as Jones-Drew's primary backup. Gerhart had 283 yards and two TDs last season on only 36 carries.
You can follow Ken Hornack on Twitter @HornackFSFla or email him at khornack32176@gmail.com.
