Fournette: Getting cut by Jaguars was a 'terrible feeling'

Leonard Fournette has seen the highs and lows of the NFL over the past five months.

The Jacksonville Jaguars cut the former No. 4 pick on Aug. 31. At the time, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said the team "couldn't get anything" for him in trade talks.

Now, Fournette is days away from appearing in the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The running back said being released by the team that drafted him in 2017 was tough to stomach at first.

"It was a terrible feeling. I took a week off. I had to get my mind right and try to understand why it was going on," Fournette said Tuesday, according to John Reid of the Florida Times-Union.

Fournette battled with management during his three-year tenure in Jacksonville, but he was also coming off a 2019 season in which he compiled 1,674 total yards. He said he didn't get an explanation for his release.

"It was a tough time for me. Going into work and someone was at the gate saying the coach wanted to see me. They just cut me. There was no explaining it, why, it just happened," he said.

Fournette signed with the Buccaneers but wasn't given a starting role. He was Ronald Jones' backup but thrived as Jones battled injuries late in the year. Fournette scored touchdowns in five of the Bucs' last six games, including all three of their playoff contests.

"I've always had my groove, I just didn't play a lot," Fournette said. "I would just say that it's timing. God's timing, you can't rush it. What's for you is for you at the end of the day. No man on earth can take that from you.

"Just for me to be in this position I'm in now, I'm just grateful. Coming from being cut and now playing in the Super Bowl with my new team and my new organization, it feels great."