Maurice Jones-Drew retires
— -- Maurice Jones-Drew, one of the most productive NFL running backs during his prime despite his small stature, has retired from the NFL.
Jones-Drew, who turns 30 this month, announced his retirement Thursday on Twitter, writing "All good things come to an end!!!" with a longer message contained in the tweet.
Jones-Drew is known for his eight seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He signed a three-year, $7.5 million deal with Oakland last year. Jones-Drew began the season as the Raiders' starter, but he broke his hand in Game 1 and could not regain his starting job. He was buried on the depth chart as the season progressed. Jones-Drew, a Bay Area native, had just 96 yards rushing in what was his final NFL season.
He had talked to new Oakland head coach Jack Del Rio -- who coached Jones-Drew in Jacksonville in his prime -- about playing in 2015. However, there was little chance the Raiders would have retained Jones-Drew had he decided to continue to play.
Jones-Drew, 5-foot-7, 210 pounds, completed his career with 8,167 rushing yards. It is the sixth-most rushing yards in the NFL over the past nine seasons.
With Jones-Drew retiring and the team officially releasing defensive end LaMarr Woodley on Thursday, Oakland is now set to have more than $64 million in salary-cap room when free agency starts Tuesday. Oakland will be in the market for a running back in the free agency and the draft. Darren McFadden is a free agent and is not expected to be back. Oakland is looking for competition for the promising (but green) Latavius Murray.
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