Less than five months after the Jacksonville Jaguars traded James Robinson to the New York Jets, the 24-year-old running back is reportedly set to become a free agent.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Jets opted against using a tender to keep Robinson, who entered the 2023 offseason as a restricted free agent.
Robinson joined the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and quickly earned a starting role with the team. He set an NFL record in yards from scrimmage by an undrafted rookie, recording 1,070 rushing yards, 344 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns.
While his second season was defined by an odd feud with Urban Meyer and an Achilles tear, Robinson started the 2022 season with 230 rushing yards and three touchdowns through the first three games. Eventually though, the Jaguars began turning to Travis Etienne Jr. and opted to trade Robinson to the Jets for a fifth-round pick.
After recording only 85 yards in four games with New York, Robinson spent the final month of the season as a weekly healthy scratch.
Shortly after he was traded to the Jets, Robinson wrote a public letter to Jaguars fans, thanking them for their support and promising that “the sky’s the limit” for the team.
While Jacksonville could use additional running back help and Doug Pederson guaranteed the team will add to its backfield, a reunion doesn’t seem particularly likely. The Jaguars already re-signed JaMycal Hasty and probably aren’t interested in spending much more at the position, especially after deciding in October that it isn’t a combination they’re interested in juggling.
