Jaguars Sign Stewart To New Deal

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

May 22, 1998 / 11:04 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

James Stewart, the all-time leading rusher in the three-year history of the Jacksonville Jaguars, signed a new two-year contract with the team on Friday.

Stewart was scheduled to earn a base salary of $700,000 this season, but the Jaguars tore up the contract and gave him a new two-year deal worth $3.2 million. Stewart's agent, Pat Dye Junior, said the deal also includes incentives worth another $600,000 to $700,000.

Stewart was a first-round pick in the Jaguars' inaugural season of 1995. He holds club records for rushing yards (1,803) and touchdowns (22).

The 26-year-old Stewart shared time in the backfield with Natrone Means last year and rushed for 555 yards and eight touchdowns on 136 carries. He also caught 41 passes for 336 yards and one touchdown.

With the departure of Means, who signed with San Diego as a free agent in the off-season, Stewart enters training camp as the Jaguars' number one running back but will face competition from Fred Taylor, Jacksonville's first-round pick in the 1998 draft.

The 6-1, 230-pound Stewart also holds the franchise record for rushing yards in a game with 112 in a 17-14 loss to St. Louis on October 20, 1996. He rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries in a 38-21 win over Philadelphia last October 12th.