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Maurice Jones-Drew agrees to contract with Oakland Raiders

By By Austin Knoblauch
| This post has been updated. See the note below for details. |
Mar 28, 2014 | 12:53 PM
Maurice Jones-Drew agrees to contract with Oakland Raiders
Maurice Jones-Drew rushes for yardage during a game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans. (Sam Greenwood / Getty Images)

The Oakland Raiders are adding another high-profile veteran running back to their backfield.

According to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, the Raiders have agreed to terms with former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, who will sign with Oakland once he passes a physical scheduled for Friday morning.

[Updated, 12:53 p.m. PDT March 28: Jones-Drew agreed to a three-year deal, the team announced later in the day.]

Jones-Drew, a former UCLA standout who grew up in Oakland and played at high school football powerhouse Concord De La Salle, averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry in 2013 after he struggled to overcome an ankle injury he suffered early in the season. He finished the year with 803 yards rushing and five touchdowns. A Lisfranc injury limited him to five games in 2012.

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Jones-Drew tallied 8,071 yards rushing and 68 touchdowns in his eight seasons in Jacksonville.

The 29-year-old Jones-Drew, who will fill in for departed free agent Rashad Jennings, will partner with Darren McFadden, who was limited to 379 yards rushing and five touchdowns in 10 games last season. 

Jones-Drew is the latest in a series of several free-agent moves triggered by Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie in an effort to pull the team out of its decade-long funk. The team has signed former Houston Texans starting quarterback Matt Schaub, ex-New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Donald Penn since the start of free agency.

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