Justin Blackmon suspended first 4 games

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Blackmon’s contract makes him vulnerable
Posted by Mike Florio on April 30, 2013, 5:42 PM EDT
Justin Blackmon AP

After becoming the fifth overall pick of the Jaguars in 2012 but before signing his rookie contract, Justin Blackmon was arrested for DUI.

The timing was not good, because it gave the Jaguars extensive leverage in their contract talks with Blackmon, who had a DUI at Texas Tech, too. The Jags parlayed that leverage into a contract that deferred 40 percent of his signing bonus into future roster bonuses. As of right now, roughly $4 million has not been paid.

Blackmon also agreed to have all future guarantees wiped out in the event of a suspension. Which means that the Jags can now pull the plug on Blackmon’s deal and owe him nothing more, even though top five players otherwise get fully guaranteed contracts for four seasons.

Throw in a new G.M. who may have had no desire to pick Blackmon in the first place, and Blackmon could be gone. If the Jaguars are willing to accept the fact that Blackmon will have received roughly $8.5 million for one year, they can move on by asking Blackmon to move out.