Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Gene Smith put his faith in Justin Blackmon when he selected the Oklahoma State wide receiver with the fifth overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Smith has been with the Jaguars since their inception, and he knows all too well about the team's checkered history with young wide receivers. Three of the team's first-round picks -- R. Jay Soward (2000), Reggie Williams (2004) and Matt Jones (2005) -- had their careers derailed by substance-abuse issues. Blackmon's Sunday morning DUI arrest had to be a nasty case of déjà vu.
Blackmon had a prior DUI arrest, back in 2010. You can guarantee this came up with the team in pre-draft meetings. But Blackmon's attitude apparently appeased the Jaguars, who moved up in the first round to make sure they got the man whom they foresaw as Blaine Gabbert's most-trusted ally.
You have to wonder what Smith is thinking now. Blackmon has yet to sign his rookie deal with the Jaguars, and it'll be interesting to see how the team approaches contract negotiations.
As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the Jaguars could play hardball and offer Blackmon a one-year tender for the rookie minimum of $390,000 -- a probationary-type deal that the receiver undoubtedly would turn down and move to re-enter the draft in 2013.
More likely is a four-year, market-value, fully guaranteed deal that includes provisions to remove the guarantees if Blackmon trips up again. Both sides are limited in negotiations here, given the new rules in place for rookie deals, but don't be surprised if the Jaguars explore every avenue in protecting themselves.
Smith has watched the Jaguars get burned before in this game. He'll do everything he can to make sure it doesn't happen again.
