Maurice Jones-Drew calls it a career

The NFL's 2011 rushing champ, running back Maurice Jones-Drew, decided to hang up his cleats on Thursday.

The sixth-leading active NFL rusher (with 8,167 yards) made the announcement via Twitter, just a few weeks prior to his 30th birthday.

The mighty-might back had a unique frame, built like a vending machine at 5-foot-6 and 209 pounds, and he had blazing speed that allowed him to be one of the best players in Jacksonville Jaguars history. But after that 2011 season, in which he rushed for 1,606 yards on 343 carries, Jones-Drew fell off precipitously.

In his final two seasons after that with the Jaguars, and his 2014 season with the Oakland Raiders, Jones-Drew combined for 1,313 rush yards on 363 carries over 33 games during which injuries took their toll. Although the man who drafted Jones-Drew, Jack Del Rio, took over the Raiders' head coaching job, JDR and MJD were not meant to have a second act.

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"After much discussion with my family and business team during this offseason, I've decided to retire from the National Football League," Jones-Drew wrote in a tweet.

It's a soberting time of year, with several NFL veterans being released and announcing their retirement, and it has been especially eye-opening for the state of running backs in the league. The position not only appears to be devalued greatly from a financial standpoint, but they also — like Jones-Drew — can fall off quickly after the tread is off the tires.

Maurice Jones-Drew Career Rushing Yards and TDs | PointAfter

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm