The Jacksonville Jaguars today restructured the contract of linebacker Kevin Hardy and signed first-round draft choice Marcus Stroud to a contract.
The re-signing of Hardy freed up enough room on the Jaguars' salary cap to enable the Jaguars to sign Stroud today, who joined the team's other 90 players in reporting to training camp. The team's rookies - except for Stroud, who had yet to sign his contract - participated in the annual conditioning run at Ferrell Fields.
"It's good to have the restructure done (on Hardy) and have it behind us and to have Marcus Stroud ready," said Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin. "We will be at full strength and Marcus will be able to attend the meetings tonight and be on the field tomorrow. Nobody wanted him to be out of camp, and our players wanted him to be here."
As for Hardy, Coughlin said, "I think Kevin's objective will be to have a great year. In the final hour, Kevin did what was best for the team."
Stroud, a 6-6, 321-pound defensive tackle from Georgia, said, "I am happy to have this over with and I am happy to be in camp. I didn't have any doubts this would happen. There wasn't much the organization could do, since they were under salary cap issues. We both realized that and did what we could. I feel like I got a great deal. And, remember, I wasn't a holdout."
The Jaguars will begin two-a-day practices at 8:40 a.m. and 3:20 p.m. Friday at Ferrell Fields.
