National Football League

Jaguars Release Fournette

Updated Aug. 31, 2020 2:49 p.m. ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced Monday that the team had released running back Leonard Fournette.

Fournette is owed $4.17 million in salary this season, the final year on his rookie contract.

Jacksonville didn't pick up his fifth-year option during the offseason and the team has been actively seeking a trade for their three-year starter in the backfield.

The Jaguars are attempting to void the guaranteed money in Fournette's contract following his suspension for fighting in 2018, and Fournette has filed a grievance.

Fournette has a history of grievances with the team, as he was deactivated in the final game of his rookie season and fined $99,000 by former head coach Tom Coughlin for his conduct.

In addition, back in April, he openly criticized Jacksonville quarterback Gardner Minshew while campaigning for the Jags to sign then-free agent Cam Newton.

Former Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall reacted to the news on Monday morning.

Fournette was the No. 4 pick in 2017 and spent three seasons with the club, where he rushed for a total of 2,631 yards and 17 touchdowns in 36 games.

He was the second rookie in franchise history to rush for over 1,000 yards, racking up 1,040 yards and 9 TDs in his inaugural season, and that year, in his first playoff appearance, Fournette rushed for 242 yards and a franchise-record 4 TDs en route to the AFC Championship Game.

Fournette's 666 rushes during his three seasons in Jacksonville was the fifth most in the NFL over the past three years, trailing only Dallas' Ezekiel Elliot, Atlanta's Todd Gurley, Tennessee's Derrick Henry and Cincinnati's Joe Mixon.

Last season, in 15 games, Fournette rushed for 1,152 yards and 3 TDs, and also recorded 522 receiving yards.

Since 2017, Fournette sits in fifth with 101.1 scrimmage yards per game, behind Elliott, Carolina's Christian McCaffrey, Gurley and New York's Le'Veon Bell.

Fournette is the second big-name player that Jacksonville has shed in the past two days. On Sunday the Jags agreed to trade defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings for two draft picks.

Jacksonville opens the season at home against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 13.