Dante Fowler is ready to help the Rams in the Super Bowl, but he’s still got time to take shots at his time with the Jaguars.
The Jaguars drafted Dante Fowler with the idea that he could anchor their pass rush for years to come, but they ended up trading him after his roller coaster time in Jacksonville. It’s safe to say that Fowler isn’t interested in returning to the team that drafted him.
The disruptive edge rusher complemented his current group of teammates for being “humble” and “keeping the main thing the main thing.” In other words, Sean McVay’s team does a good job of checking their egos at the door. Unfortunately for Jaguars fans, Fowler didn’t stop at just saying positive things about the Rams.
He went on to say that the Jaguars didn’t do a good job of staying hungry after they reached the AFC Championship game in 2017. Specifically, Jacksonville did not stay “humble” heading into the 2018 campaign. In Fowler’s mind, that’s a big part of the reason why the Jaguars finished last year with a dismal record of 5-11.
Ironically, part of the reasons the Jaguars were willing to ship Fowler to the West Coast is because they believed he was a part of their locker room issues. The Rams haven’t seen any signs of discontent from the former Gators star. In fact, Fowler was instrumental in the team’s ability to knock off the Saints in the NFC Championship game. His crucial hit on Drew Brees late in that ballgame allowed John Johnson to capitalize with a big interception on the errant throw. It was just the sort of play the Jaguars didn’t see enough of from Fowler during his time there.
If Fowler can keep up his hot play with a big performance against the Patriots in the Super Bowl he might be in position to cash in with a huge contract this offseason. The former first round pick will be hitting unrestricted free agency after his postseason run with the Rams and edge rushers are always in high demand across the NFL.
Moving to L.A. clearly worked out for Fowler, but he needs to focus his energy on overcoming Tom Brady rather than slamming his old team. Treating the Jaguars like ancient history is the best way for him to maximize his future success.