Newly acquired Jets running back James Robinson seems to be saying good riddance to the team that gave him his first opportunity in the NFL.
Robinson, speaking with reporters on Wednesday for the first time since the trade that sent him from Jacksonville to New York, indicated that the Jaguars were something less than forthright during his final days with the organization.
Specifically, Robinson seems to have taken exception to the Jaguars' handling of the promotion of Travis Etienne as the featured back. Head coach Doug Pederson had claimed that Etienne garnered the bulk of touches last week because Robinson was dealing with "knee soreness." But on Wednesday, Robinson disagreed with that idea, calling it an "excuse."
Robinson was limited to just 12 snaps in the Jaguars' loss to the Giants, but he felt like he could have contributed more.
"The communication was really not there," Robinson added. "Last Sunday, I felt like I should have played, but obviously I didn't."
The Robinson trade, which cost the Jets a fifth-round draft pick, came just two days after star rookie running back Breece Hall was lost to a season-ending ACL injury.
For the Jets and their fans, Robinson's acquisition represented a confirmation, of sorts, from team brass that they are committed to trying to continue a hot start which has seen them go 5-2 for the first time since 2010 -- the last year they made the playoffs.
From Robinson's perspective, he gets a fresh start after the Jaguars had clearly pivoted toward featuring Etienne, a first-round draft pick in 2021.
Robinson was essentially found money for the Jaguars, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois State in 2020.
For his career, the 24-year-old has averaged 4.5 yards per carry and 6.9 yards per catch on bad Jaguars teams that shuffled through three head coaches and went 5-34 during his time there.
Robinson claims the trade came out of nowhere, but it "feels pretty good" to go from an also-ran to a potential playoff contender.
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