Jacksonville Jaguars- Face of the Franchise Through the Years
Jacksonville Jaguars Greatest Players - These are the Jaguar’s most iconic ‘Face of The Franchise’
“Face of the Franchise” is a title that should be reserved for only the very best an individual team has to offer. Not only in terms of footballing ability but also that person's character and importance to that franchise.
Very few NFL personnel in history become so synonymous with a franchise to the point their name immediately springs to mind when a football fan thinks of a particular NFL team. Who over the course of a team’s history defines what that franchise represents?
NFL Face of the Franchise: History of the Jacksonville Jaguars Biggest Names
One the youngest franchises in the NFL, Jacksonville enjoyed some early success following their inception in 1995. The Jaguars made four consecutive postseason appearances from 1996 - 1999 and played in two AFC Championship games in their second and fifth seasons as a franchise.
Consistent success has been difficult to find since those AFC title appearances. However, led by an extraordinary defensive unit, Jacksonville did reach another title game in 2017, falling one game short of the Super Bowl once again. Although their history is short, the most successful Jaguars teams boasted several highly skilled, physical and perhaps underrated football players in the history of the game.
Let’s look at the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Who is the Face of the Franchise?
Maurice Jones-Drew
Role: Running Back
“MJD” kicks off our list of the greatest Jaguars, who as a franchise have been blessed with several physically gifted running backs in their first quarter of a century in the league. A second round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft, Jones-Drew famously wore number 32 on his jersey, representing his disgust that all 32 teams passed on his talent in the first round of the draft.
Initially used primarily in the return game, Jones-Drew quickly carved out a role for himself as part of an extremely physical one-two punch in the backfield with fellow Jaguars great, Fred Taylor. He broke two franchise records as a rookie, rushing for a touchdown in eight straight games and a season record for all-purpose yards (2,250). Jones-Drew was arguably a more versatile running back than his teammate in the time they played together, as MJD racked up 40+ reception seasons regularly in Jacksonville.
Every Maurice Jones Drew touchdown
After another two productive seasons, MJD's rushing production truly exploded from 2009 to 2011. He was elected to Pro Bowls all three seasons, earned second-team All-Pro in 2009, and backed that performance up with two first-team All-Pro selections in 2010 and 2011. That 2011 campaign was the best statistical performance of his career, as Jones-Drew led the league in rushing with 1,606 yards on the ground.
That effort seemed to take its toll on MJD, who never reached the same heights as a running back again. He played two more injury-ridden years in Jacksonville, before rounding off his career with one more injury-ravaged year in Oakland. However, he still holds the following Jaguars franchise records, that have cemented his place as one of the greatest Jaguars in history:
Most Career touchdowns (81), Most Rushing Touchdowns (68), Most Rushing Touchdowns in a single season (15 in 2009)m and most rushing yards in a single season with that 2011 effort.
Fred Taylor
Role: Running Back
Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew proved to be one of the best running back combinations in the league for several seasons. However, Taylor was running over defences for a number of years, in big playoff games for the Jaguars before MJD came to town. Selected ninth overall in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft, the pressure was on Taylor to perform right from the start.
He seemed to handle the pressure just fine, rushing for 1,223 yards and 14 touchdowns as a rookie. In the 1998 postseason, Taylor rushed for 248 yards on the ground in the Jaguars two playoff games, despite Jacksonville losing to the Jets in the AFC Divisional Round. Taylor’s regular-season production dropped the following season due to injury. However, he found his best form once again in the playoffs, rushing for a further 245 yards in two games as the 14-2 Jaguars were defeated on the doorstep of the Super Bowl in the AFC Title game.
Taylor rushed for over 1,200 yards four of the next five seasons, only falling short in 2001 due to serious injuries that forced him to miss 14 games. His physical running style meant Taylor often delivered blows to would-be tacklers, and rarely was he forced backwards in a collision. Despite his outstanding record for Jacksonville, Taylor only earned one Pro Bowl appearance throughout a 13-season career, 11 of which he spent in Jacksonville.
He remains the Jaguars all-time leader in rushing yards with 11,271, and adding on his yards accumulated over two seasons with the Patriots at the end of his career, he sits 17th among NFL running backs all-time. Injuries prevented Taylor from reaching further heights in terms of rushing records, however, his punishing style also gave him the success he did enjoy.
Taylor averaged 123 rushing yards in his first four playoff appearances for the Jaguars. He represented the physical, never say die attitude of the most consistent period of success in franchise history. His superhuman effort throughout the 1998 and 1998 playoffs should never be forgotten by the Jaguars fan base.
Tony Boselli
Role: Tackle
The two running backs represent the physical nature of some of the more successful Jaguars teams. However, the success those early teams enjoyed offensively started with their play in the trenches. Even more accurately, it started with their out-of-this-world left tackle, Tony Boselli. Boselli was selected as the second pick of the 1995 NFL Draft, the first-ever draft pick in franchise history.
An absolute behemoth, Boselli stood at 6 ft 7, and a 322lb playing weight, he was the stone wall at left tackle throughout the Jaguars most successful period. The awards came thick and fast at the NFL level. Boselli picked up five consecutive pro bowls from 1996 to 2000, and more impressively three consecutive first-team All-Pros from 1997 to 1999. At the turn of the century, he was elected to the 1990’s NFL All-decade team. He was a cornerstone of the franchise's success in the 1990s as the Jaguars reached four consecutive postseasons.
Boselli’s early retirement is easily the biggest disappointment of the tackle’s career. His time in the league was limited to just seven playing seasons, as he retired from the game in 2022, due to persistent shoulder injuries. Many have campaigned for Boselli’s election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame since his retirement. He played in arguably the best tackle generation the league has ever seen, as tackles from a similar period, Walter Jones and Orlando Pace have both earned Hall of Fame nods. However, many argue Boselli played at a higher level than both and only lacks the longevity the other two tackles enjoyed.
Regardless, Boselli has long been regarded as the best Jacksonville Jaguars draft selection of all time. He quite literally paved the way for the franchise's early success. The Jaguars defied all expectations with their success so early in their history, and Boselli was the heart and soul of those teams, as he anchored one of the most dominant offensive lines of the times. He has been a nominee for the Hall of Fame every year since 2009 without getting over the hump.
However, the Jaguars have honoured arguably their best player in franchise history. Boselli was the first inductee into the team’s own Hall of Fame in 2006, ensuring Boselli will never be forgotten in South Florida.
