# Maurice Jones-Drew
**Maurice Jones-Drew** (born 1985) is a former [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) running back who played nine seasons in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), eight with the [Jacksonville Jaguars](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacksonville-jaguars) (2006-13) and one with the Oakland Raiders in 2014. He led the NFL in rushing in 2011 with 1,606 yards, was a three-time Pro Bowler, and finished his career with 8,167 rushing yards and 81 total touchdowns.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/maurice-jones-drew/stats/career) • [2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Career rushing totals | 126 games, 1,847 carries, 8,167 yards, 4.4 average, 68 rushing touchdowns[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/maurice-jones-drew/stats/career) |
| Receiving and returns | 346 receptions for 2,944 yards and 11 touchdowns; 79 kick returns for 2,054 yards (26.0 average) and 2 touchdowns[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/maurice-jones-drew/stats/career) |
| 2011 season | Led the NFL with 1,606 rushing yards, a franchise record, on 343 carries (4.7 average)[2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382) • [3](https://www.jaguars.com/news/record-breaking-day-for-jones-drew-6724966) |
| Draft | Second-round selection, 60th overall, by Jacksonville in the 2006 NFL Draft[2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382) |
| Jaguars records | Career touchdowns (81), career rushing touchdowns (68), career kick return yardage (2,054), and career kick return average (26.00, minimum 50 returns), among others[2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382) |
| Honors | Three Pro Bowls (2009, 2010, 2011), one first-team All-Pro selection, UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017[2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382) • [4](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DrewMa00.htm) |
| College | UCLA, 2003-05; NCAA record 28.5-yard punt return average in 2005[2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382) |
## College career at UCLA
Jones-Drew attended UCLA from 2003 to 2005 and played as an all-purpose back and kick returner. By the end of his Bruins career he held school records in career and single-season all-purpose yards, touchdowns in a game, single-game rushing yards, and single-season punt returns for touchdowns.[2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382) In 2005 he set an NCAA record with a punt return average of 28.5 yards, a mark that still stood when UCLA inducted him into its athletics hall of fame in 2017, and he earned first-team [All-America](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-america) honors as an all-purpose back and kick returner.[2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382)
## Jacksonville Jaguars, 2006-2013
**Rookie impact.** As a rookie in 2006, Jones-Drew finished with 2,250 all-purpose yards, the third-most by a rookie in NFL history, and set team records for all-purpose yards in a season and in a single game (303).[5](https://device.report/m/03ca6239e8714fc1984400dce9156759bea617a9374385105cc80c18bd461954.pdf) He rushed for 941 yards and 13 touchdowns that season while also returning 31 kickoffs for 860 yards and a touchdown.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/maurice-jones-drew/stats/career)
**Peak seasons.** After sharing the backfield with Fred Taylor in his early seasons, Jones-Drew became the lead back and rushed for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, 2009 through 2011, making the [Pro Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-bowl) after each.[2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382) His 2009 season produced 1,391 rushing yards and a career-best 15 rushing touchdowns.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/maurice-jones-drew/stats/career) In 2010 he ran for 1,324 yards in 14 games.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/maurice-jones-drew/stats/career)
**The 2011 rushing title.** Jones-Drew closed the 2011 season with 169 rushing yards on 25 carries against a season long of 56, setting the club's single-season franchise records for rushing yards and yards from scrimmage and winning the NFL rushing title with 1,606 yards on 343 carries.[3](https://www.jaguars.com/news/record-breaking-day-for-jones-drew-6724966) He accounted for a franchise-record 47.7 percent of the Jaguars' offense that year, the highest share of any player in the league, and recorded his 25th career 100-yard rushing game, the second-most in team history.[3](https://www.jaguars.com/news/record-breaking-day-for-jones-drew-6724966) He became the first Jaguars player to lead the NFL in one of the main statistical categories, joining [Mark Brunell](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-brunell) (passing yards, 1996) and Jimmy Smith (receptions, 1999).[3](https://www.jaguars.com/news/record-breaking-day-for-jones-drew-6724966)
**Later Jaguars years.** A 2012 holdout limited him to six games that season, in which he ran for 414 yards, and he finished his Jacksonville tenure in 2013 with 803 rushing yards on a 3.4 average.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/maurice-jones-drew/stats/career) • [6](https://www.nfl.com/news/maurice-jones-drew-vs-jaguars-rival-executives-analyze-spat-0ap1000000053330) He left the franchise second in its history with 8,071 rushing yards, 1,804 rushing attempts, and 13,131 all-purpose yards, and he held Jaguars records for career touchdowns (81), career rushing touchdowns (68), consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (eight), longest run from scrimmage (an 80-yard touchdown, tied with Fred Taylor), career receptions by a running back (335), career receiving yards by a running back (2,873), career kick return yardage (2,054), and career kick return average (26.00, minimum of 50 returns).[7](https://www.jaguars.com/news/mjd-retirement-ceremony-it-s-over-with-15197358) • [2](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382)
## Oakland Raiders and retirement
Jones-Drew signed with the [Oakland Raiders](https://www.edgepedia.org/oakland-raiders) for the 2014 season, his last in the NFL. He appeared in 12 games and rushed 43 times for 96 yards, a 2.2-yard average, with no touchdowns.[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/maurice-jones-drew/stats/career) He announced his retirement in March 2015 at a ceremony at EverBank Field, at age 30, saying "It's over with."
## Playing style and assessment
Scouting reports before the 2006 draft described Jones-Drew as an explosive triple threat as a rusher, receiver, and returner, with a powerful lower body for his size.[5](https://device.report/m/03ca6239e8714fc1984400dce9156759bea617a9374385105cc80c18bd461954.pdf) [Pro Football Focus](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-focus) analysis of the 2011 season placed him among the league leaders in yards after contact, with more than 900 yards gained after being met by the first defender, a measure of a runner's production independent of his blocking.[8](https://www.pff.com/news/2011-elusive-rating) His touchdown production was unusually fast for the franchise: of the NFL's top 20 running backs by touchdowns scored, only four reached 50 touchdowns quicker than Jones-Drew, those being [Jim Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-brown) (45 games), [Marcus Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/marcus-allen) (48), Eric Dickerson (51), and Barry Sanders (53).[9](https://www.jaguars.com/news/more-on-jones-drew-5841649)
## References
1. [Maurice Jones-Drew Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/maurice-jones-drew/stats/career)
2. [Former Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew Named to UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017, Jaguars.com](https://www.jaguars.com/news/former-jaguars-rb-maurice-jones-drew-named-to-ucla-athletics-hall-of-fa-18871382)
3. [Record-breaking day for Jones-Drew, Jaguars.com](https://www.jaguars.com/news/record-breaking-day-for-jones-drew-6724966)
4. [Maurice Jones-Drew, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DrewMa00.htm)
5. [2007 Jacksonville Jaguars media guide (rookie season records)](https://device.report/m/03ca6239e8714fc1984400dce9156759bea617a9374385105cc80c18bd461954.pdf)
6. [Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Jaguars: Rival executives analyze spat, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/maurice-jones-drew-vs-jaguars-rival-executives-analyze-spat-0ap1000000053330)
7. [MJD retirement ceremony: "It's over with", Jaguars.com](https://www.jaguars.com/news/mjd-retirement-ceremony-it-s-over-with-15197358)
8. [2011 Elusive Rating, Pro Football Focus](https://www.pff.com/news/2011-elusive-rating)
9. [More on Jones-Drew, Jaguars.com](https://www.jaguars.com/news/more-on-jones-drew-5841649)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Running backs › Retired NFL running backs › NFL running backs of the 1990s and 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license