Jacksonville Jaguars: Marcell Dareus should be worried about his job
By Larry Brake
Marcell Dareus should be worried that the Jacksonville Jaguars move away from him after recent developments
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded for Marcell Dareus to bolster the run stopping defense before last season’s trade deadline. In nine games, he made 20 total tackles with one quarterback sack. However, he brought a huge contract with him.
Dareus signed a six year deal worth north of $96 million with Buffalo in 2015. According to Spotrac, Dareus’ salary cap hit for this season is $10.175 million. He is expected to earn $9.925 million in 2018.
Since the Jaguars are active in the surrounding community, Dareus is sending money to Haiti. He is helping to fund a school building wing, according to ESPN.com. Then, damaging news broke following week.
Two women have brought civil suits against Dareus. Both women are claiming Dareus assaulted them on separate occasions in different venues. Dareus is hoping to have one dismissed via court date in August, per ESPN.com.
So, what should the Jaguars organization do? Is there anything positive that can come from the situation? Gene Frenette of Jacksonville.com commented on the dilemma:
"Dareus, 28, earned a ton of positive media coverage recently by donating $125,000 to fund the building of a school in Haiti, which is commendable. But given the baggage that keeps piling up elsewhere, it’s fair to ask, maybe even demand, that the Jaguars cut their losses and make him somebody else’s problem"
Dareus should be worried about his job. Jacksonville could release him before the season starts, especially if the pending court date ruling goes against him. The Jaguars would save $2.825 million in salary cap by releasing him.
Dareus might be facing suspension by the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell could rule that he violated his player conduct clause. He could miss several games due to the nature of the allegations against him.
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Dave Caldwell might decide to trade Dareus away. It would be surprising for another team would take on his huge salary and his upcoming court dates. Let’s see what happens in the following weeks.