Jacksonville Jaguars

Don't get too comfy, Justin Herbert, Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb ...

New Jaguars star James Robinson tells TMZ Sports he has just as much claim to the Rookie of the Year honors as anybody in the NFL ... saying, "I mean, I know that I am having a pretty good year."

JR came out of nowhere to dominate the touches in Jacksonville's backfield ... and he's been THRIVING since head coach Doug Marrone handed him the keys to the starting RB role.

The undrafted tailback out of Illinois State is 3rd in the league with 762 rushing yards ... and he's also got 5 rushing TDs and 249 receiving yards.

And, 22-year-old Robinson says he feels that should be plenty to get him some consideration for the NFL's most coveted award for rookies.

"I mean, I hope I am in that conversation," Robinson says.

Don't get it twisted ... Robinson has bigger goals than just the individual award -- telling us, "I try not to really pay attention to any of that."

As for Robinson's improbable road to success ... he credits the chip on his shoulder for motivating him to go from an unheralded, undrafted free agent back to one of the league's brightest young stars.

The Jaguars' yearslong search for a franchise QB is finally over ... so says Jacksonville legend Jimmy Smith, who tells TMZ Sports he has no doubts Gardner Minshew is THAT DUDE!

"He's the bright spot of that team," Smith says. "He has proven that week in and week out."

Minshew has only started 14 games for the Jags since he was drafted in 2019 ... but Jimmy says he's already seen enough to declare the QB a Jaguars cornerstone.

Smith tells us he's actually been following Minshew since he was a high schooler (Jimmy's son's team played against Gardner's) ... and he's convinced the 24-year-old is the real deal.

"He's showing that," Smith said. "The first week, he went 19 of 20. And, you saw [last Sunday] he had three touchdowns. That's awesome."

Through two games so far this year ... Minshew has led the Jags to a 1-1 record and has thrown 6 TDs to just two interceptions to go along with 512 passing yards.

Minshew also has a 115.7 QB rating ... and Jimmy tells us it's all pointing toward Gardner being in place under center in Jacksonville for a long time.

Jaguars legend Maurice Jones-Drew says he was straight-up "shocked" to see the team cut Leonard Fournette ... telling TMZ Sports he has no idea how the move improves Jacksonville's roster.

"Leonard Fournette is one of their best players on their team," MJD says. "How are you better without him?!"

"How does that happen?!" the former NFL running back added. "How do you get rid of this guy?!"

Maurice says even if Fournette had a locker room personality that team officials didn't love ... he still thinks the best move would have been to keep the star RB in a Jags uniform.

"To me, in this league, it's all about you have to have a talented team to win," says Jones-Drew, who's currently KILLING it as an NFL Network analyst. "You can't win in this league without talent."

Jones-Drew says if he were running the Jags ... he would've certainly kept Fournette on the roster despite his past ups and downs with the team.

In fact, Maurice says he would have found a way to keep guys like Jalen Ramsey, Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue on the roster as well.

But, MJD insists he ain't mad at his former team for the moves ... and tells us he's still holding out hope his ex-squad can wrap up a perfect 16-0 season this year.

An up-and-down road in Jacksonville has finally come to an end for Leonard Fournette ... the Jaguars star running back was just released Monday, the team announced.

The former LSU superstar -- the 4th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft -- was able to post solid numbers when he was in the Jags' lineup ... but injuries and off-field drama constantly plagued him.

The 25-year-old was only able to start 36 of a possible 48 games in 3 seasons ... and he consistently found himself butting heads with the team and former exec Tom Coughlin.

Remember, Fournette was ejected for fighting with Bills players during a game in 2018 ... and was later suspended by the league over it -- hurting the hell out of the Jags' chances to make back-to-back playoff runs.

Later that season, Fournette was made inactive for the team's final game of the season ... and was ripped by Coughlin for his "disrespectful" and "selfish" body language on the sidelines.

Fournette was also reportedly repeatedly fined and admonished for being late to or skipping team events ... and even famously threatened to beat a heckler's ass during a Jags-Titans game in 2018 as well.

Fournette was also arrested in 2019 over an unpaid speeding ticket ... and wasn't shy about voicing his concerns over Jaguars personnel decisions over the past year too.

Jags head coach Doug Marrone spoke about the move Monday morning -- say the team tried like hell to trade Fournette, but "there wasn't anything there."

He added cutting Fournette was "what's best for our team."

After his cut Monday, Leonard can now be claimed off waivers by any team ... but if he clears there, he's free to choose to sign with any of the 31 other teams in the league as a free agent.

In his career, Fournette has rushed for 2,631 yards and 17 TDs on 666 carries.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars star Telvin Smith has been arrested in Florida ... jail records show he was booked Wednesday on a charge of "unlawful sexual activity with certain minors."

Details surrounding the case are unclear ... we're working on it, but records show the 29-year-old was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and processed at 5:20 p.m. ET.

Jail records also show the 6'4", 215-pound ex-linebacker had his bond set at $50,003.

Remember, back in November, officials swarmed his home -- and according to police records obtained by TMZ Sports, it was because they received "information regarding a case of Unlawful Sexual Activity with Certain Minors."

Now, seems something significant has happened in the investigation ... with cops arresting Telvin on a similar charge Wednesday.

Smith was a stud for the Jaguars after being selected in the 5th round of the 2014 NFL Draft ... starting 69 games from '14 to '18 while making 1 Pro Bowl appearance.

He famously abruptly retired prior to the 2019 season ... writing on social media that he "must take time away from the game & get my world in order."

Warren Moon tells TMZ Sports ... Cam Newton would be a good fit in Jacksonville -- saying straight up, the QB has a great shot to start over Gardner Minshew ASAP!

Newton has been team-less since the Carolina Panthers cut him last month ... and the market for the former MVP hasn't been great.

In fact, Cam's been heavily linked to the L.A. Chargers, but the Bolts haven't reciprocated the interest. Like, at all.

Enter Moon ... who says Cam's next best option might be down in Florida -- 'cause the Hall of Famer thinks Newton might have a real shot to beat out Minshew in Jacksonville.

"They have Gardner Minshew there as their starter, who is not really a solidified starter in this league yet," Moon tells us. "So, I still think there’s an opportunity for maybe Cam to go to a Jacksonville and be a starter there."

Of course, Moon says everything is going to depend on Cam's health ... saying he believes teams need to see Newton's injured foot before they send contract offers his way.

As for if Cam would be a good fit to replace Tom Brady in New England ... Warren ain't so sure about that -- telling us the QB might be too flashy for Bill Belichick.

Fred Taylor WILL be wearing a gold jacket sometime in the future ... so says the Jaguars legend himself, who tells TMZ Sports he has "no doubt" he'll get in soon.

"We're going to get it," Taylor said leaving Prime 112 in Miami recently. "I believe in the voters."

Fred has a pretty good case ... the former Jacksonville running back ranks 17th on the all-time rushing yards list with 11,695 -- and he did score 66 rushing TDs as well.

But, with his former team not listing him as its greatest-ever franchise player (the Jags famously put Tony Boselli ahead of him last year) ... some wonder if Fred truly will get in.

"Yeah, we'll get it," Fred told us confidently. "No doubt."

As for the current state of the Jags, Taylor had an interesting take on the current QB conundrum in Duval.

The Jags paid Nick Foles a TON of cash to be their starter this past offseason ... but he was outplayed by Gardner Minshew -- and Taylor tells us he thinks Gardner should probably be the guy going forward now.

"I think the locker room might have a little bit more faith and trust in Minshew," Taylor says.

The ex-RB made it clear, though ... don't sleep on Foles by any means in 2020.

JALEN RAMSEY HAS ARRIVED -- and you better believe TMZ Sports was at LAX for his grand arrival!!!

The stud cornerback touched down on Wednesday (sporting his new Rams hat) where he was greeted by L.A. Rams staffers and what appeared to be a team camera crew to capture the moment.

Ramsey was just traded to the Rams from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a couple of 1st-round draft picks and a 4th-round pick.

The big concern was the alleged injury to Ramsey's back -- which kept him out of his final 3 games in JAX.

But, when we asked the 24-year-old how he's feeling, he shot back -- "I'm feeling good ... I want to play football!"

Great news!!!

Unclear if Ramsey will suit up and play for the Rams this weekend, but they could sure use him after trading away Marcus Peters and losing Aqib Talib to injured reserve.

In case you need a refresher ... Ramsey is widely considered the best CB in the NFL. He's in his 4th year as a pro and already has 9 career interceptions, 2 Pro Bowl selections and an All-Pro honor.

Fred Taylor is LIVID over Tony Boselli being named greatest Jacksonville Jaguar of all time over him ... going scorched earth on social media and calling the list "a joke."

Fred famously played 11 seasons for the Jags from 1998 to 2008 ... and clearly felt he'd be named the franchise's best player ever when the team's website released its list this summer.

But, the Jags gave the No. 1 overall honors to legendary left tackle Tony Boselli ... leaving Taylor at the No. 2 spot.

When Taylor got word of the snub ... he wasn't happy.

"What were you guys doing for the 11 YEARS I carried the team," Taylor said ... "One day someone (other than me) will recognize how valuable I was."

"I did something only 21 players in history of the game done at my position. #WhatAJoke"

Fred rushed for 11,271 yards and 62 touchdowns in his time with the Jags ... and ranks 17th on the NFL's all-time rushing yards leader list.

But, Fred was never an All-Pro and only earned Pro Bowl honors once ... while Boselli was a 3-time All-Pro and 5-time Pro Bowler.

Jacksonville Jaguars superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey is out for a big contract this season ... and to drive that point home, he reported to training camp Wednesday in a BRINKS TRUCK!

"Ya'll know what time it is," the driver of the truck said on a bullhorn while announcing Jalen's arrival to the crowd.

"This man's coverage is so good, he's gonna have his own cell phone service! The man's so good, they're gonna give him his own jail called Jalen County because these receivers are on 24-hour lockdown."

"If you check his pockets, he's got 8 Master Locks in his pocket, they are on lockdown all season."

Finally, it was time to announce "the man, the myth, Jalen Ramsey" ... with the hype man telling the crowd, "It's time to get this money, money!"

Subtle.

Jalen has made the Pro Bowl the past 2 seasons and is widely considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league.

He's entering the 4th year of his rookie contract which will pay him a $3.6 million base salary in 2019. He's expected to make $13.7 mil in 2020.

But, Ramsey has previously stated he's gonna be a monster when it comes to renegotiating his deal ... saying, "I'mma ask for so much money, they have to put me on layaway."

Nick Foles says the decision to return to Jaguars workouts just 4 days after his wife suffered a miscarriage was his wife's idea ... telling reporters, "She wanted me to come here."

Nick and his wife, Tori, lost their baby on Sunday in the 15th week of her pregnancy. Nick stayed home from Jags team activities for a few days but returned on Thursday.

On Friday, Nick was asked why he decided to get back to work so soon ... and he essentially explained that his wife felt it was best for Nick.

"It was my wife," Foles said ... "Talking to her, she knows I'm going to get home, she knows how important family is to me. But, she also wanted me to be here with the team."

"It was really up to her. She wanted me to come here and be with the team for a little bit."

Foles says he's rushing back home right after practice to be with his family ... and they have a great support group around them.

Jacksonville Jaguars QB Nick Foles is revealing why he's been MIA at team workouts this week -- saying his wife suffered a miscarriage in her 15th week of pregnancy and the family is devastated.

Nick's wife, Tori (who was pregnant with their 2nd child), penned an emotional statement on social media explaining how she felt sick on Sunday morning after fighting some sort of "virus" ... but things escalated quickly.

"I went into sudden labor and knew something was wrong," Tori says ... "Not long after we learned we had miscarried our baby boy."

"To fully labor and deliver and even see our baby boy was a pretty devastating process."

Tori says he later found out she had contracted an infection of pneumonia in her blood.

On Wednesday, Tori said she's back home after being released from the hospital and she's continuing to recover "physically from the infection with antibiotics (already much better) as well as emotionally from this traumatic loss."

She added, "The emotions go back and forth from immense and overwhelming sadness, confusion and anger to a firm belief that God has this fully in his hands and will use this for good. We cannot always understand or explain, but we know that is true."

Leonard Fournette's car troubles seem to be officially behind him ... the Jaguars star just copped a plea deal in his car wash arrest case -- and he won't have to spend any time behind bars for the incident.

As we previously reported ... Fournette was busted last month after cops say he was speeding with illegal tint on his windows in Florida.

When cops pulled him over at the Easy Breezy Car Wash in Jacksonville ... they learned he was also driving on a suspended license and had a warrant out for his arrest stemming from a previous traffic violation -- so they cuffed him.

Fournette was hit with multiple charges including driving on a suspended license and was facing up to 60 days in jail.

But, the good news for the 24-year-old ... he paid off the fines from his previous traffic issues and when his attorney showed up in court Monday -- he struck a deal with prosecutors on the new charges too.

Court records show Fournette pled no contest to driving without a valid driver's license, and in exchange, his speeding and illegal tint charges were dropped.

Leonard was forced to pay roughly $300 in fines and court fees.

Doug Marrone wasn't lying ... the Jaguars head coach WAS arrested back in 1997 for the same thing Leonard Fournette got busted for last week!!

TMZ Sports has obtained police docs from June 20, 1997 ... when Marrone -- a Georgia Tech assistant at the time -- was popped for doing 57 MPH in a 35 in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida.

According to the docs ... Marrone was pulled over at 11:59 AM in a 1997 Buick with fellow GT assistant coach Lance Thompson riding shotgun.

Cops say when they checked Doug's record ... they found he had a suspended license stemming from a previously unpaid ticket -- and they slapped the cuffs on him.

Turns out ... Marrone needed his boss -- legendary college football coach George O'Leary -- to get him out of jail ... 'cause cops say O'Leary paid Marrone's $100 bond!!!

Of course, Marrone's star running back suffered a similar fate last Thursday when Fournette was pulled over at a car wash and arrested for driving on a suspended license.

Marrone announced to reporters Tuesday Fournette wouldn't be punished for the incident ... saying he knows firsthand it ain't exactly the biggest deal.

By the way, Doug also wasn't kiddin' when he said it hurt being put in cuffs back then ... 'cause cops say he tipped the scales at 6'5", 305 pounds!!

Oh, and cops also say he had a tattoo of a rose on his upper back.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will NOT punish Leonard Fournette over last week's arrest -- so says head coach Doug Marrone who admits he was arrested for the exact same thing back in the day!

TMZ Sports posted footage of the superstar RB being handcuffed at a Florida car wash Thursday -- after cops noticed an outstanding warrant for his arrest stemming from an unpaid speeding ticket.

Fournette later paid the fines and now the case is essentially closed -- but the question remains ... will the Jaguars or the NFL suspend Leonard over the incident?

Enter Marrone ... who was adamant the team will NOT take disciplinary action because they don't really think it's a big deal.

In fact, Marrone says people forget to pay speeding tickets all the time -- including him.

That's when Marrone launched into a story about how he was arrested back in the late '90s when he was a college football recruiter -- and the situation sounds identical to Fournette, handcuffs and all.

"I got handcuffed, which is tough when you're my size," Marrone joked.

Marrone says the most important thing is that Leonard learns his lesson and doesn't make the same mistake twice.