Donte Moncrief is gladly gambling on himself.

The former Indianapolis Colts receiver signed a one-year Jaylon Smith Jersey , $7 million contract with AFC South rival Jacksonville on Thursday, believing he will prove he’s worth a more lucrative, long-term deal.

”I love that deal,” Moncrief said. ”I know what I’m capable of, I’m back healthy and I’m going to go out here and show these guys what I can do, show the NFL and put everything on my shoulders and give Jacksonville all I got and help these guys win. I know I can.”

The Jaguars are counting on Moncrief to help offset the loss of former Pro Bowl receiver Allen Robinson, who signed a three-year, $42 million deal in free agency with Chicago.

General manager Dave Caldwell said keeping Robinson would have cost more than the team was willing to pay for a not-so-speedy receiver coming off knee surgery.

”It was difficult,” Caldwell said. ”Obviously we have a connection with A-Rob. We drafted him here. We saw him kind of grow into the player he was. … We’ve tried to put our best foot forward and get him back here and it didn’t work out. Obviously wish him the best, but once that happens, we go to Plan B and Plan C.”

Jacksonville could have placed the franchise tag on Robinson. That would have guaranteed him a salary of $15.9 million in 2018, which would have made him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league.

The Jaguars clearly didn’t think Robinson was worth it. Instead, they used the money to sign All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell in hopes of solidifying a ground game that stalled down the stretch last season.

The 26-year-old Norwell was the gem of Jacksonville’s free-agent class. The former Carolina Panthers standout signed a five-year deal worth $66.5 million Thursday.

”Obviously we have a philosophy of how we’re going to play and what we want to do and he fits all of those,” Caldwell said. ”Tough, nasty, run-blocker, very good pass protector. Started Art Monk Jersey , been healthy and is the right age to invest into.”

Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, cornerback D.J. Hayden, safety Don Carey, safety Cody Davis and tight end Niles Paul also signed free-agent contracts with Jacksonville on Thursday.

Seferian-Jenkins visited earlier in the day and ended up with a two-year, $10 million deal.

”My No. 1 goal to accomplish with this team is earn my teammates’ respect,” Seferian-Jenkins said. ”I’m going to let all that other stuff handle itself.”

The Jags also re-signed receiver Marqise Lee to a four-year deal worth $38 million. It includes $18 million guaranteed.

”I weighed all my options,” Lee said. ”At the end of the day, when I really sat down and thought about it, a lot that played into my decision were the people around the building. The trainers, the equipment staff, my teammates, I enjoyed them for my four years, so as far as change, going somewhere else, I don’t feel like it was necessary.”

Lee, Moncrief and second-year receivers Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole will be counted on to stretch defenses and create extra running room for Leonard Fournette. Westbrook and Cole showed promise during the regular season, but went mostly missing in the postseason.

”They’re growing up Richard Dent Jersey ,” Lee said. ”They understand what they got to do this second year and how much we’re depending on them as far as getting their jobs done.”

The same could be said for Moncrief, who had 152 receptions for 1,875 yards and 18 touchdowns in four years with the Colts. He missed 11 games the last two years because of shoulder and toe injuries.

He’s healthy now and welcomes the stakes that come with signing a one-year contract. He feels it’s a safe bet.

”They were just things that were holding me back,” he said. ”Now, I’m finally healthy and I know what I’ve got in me and it’s on my shoulders and I’m ready to go.”

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Goran Dragic is going back to his native Slovenia in a few weeks for the summer. There’s a couple of weddings the Miami Heat guard needs to attend, a trip scheduled with his wife to Paris for a fashion show and probably even some pickup basketball to remind his friends that he’s an NBA All-Star and they aren’t.

And there will be some celebrating.

Winning the European title last summer is still a huge deal to Slovenians, which means Dragic’s homecoming will be a huge deal as well. He was recently voted as the most influential Slovenian, a poll conducted by media in that country who picked people from the sports world to the top six spots. No. 7 was U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, and No. 8 was Slovenian President Borut Pahor.

Leading that list shows what Dragic’s countrymen think of him, especially after he led the nation to probably its proudest sports moment.

”As soon I go out with my family, walk around the town, probably that’s going to be the time I’m going to start realizing how much that was a big deal,” Dragic said. ”We’ll see.”

”We’ll see” is a mantra of sorts for Dragic’s summer.

Even though Heat President Pat Riley said no one on the roster is untouchable if the right deal comes along, Dragic has made clear that he wants to stay in Miami – and let his bosses know as much. He raves about his house, the one with the newly upgraded landscaping because he intends to be there for a long time. He likes the makeup of the locker room, and has too many favorite restaurants in Miami to count.

Plus, he’s very much a fan favorite.

Out for dinner this week Jay Novacek Jersey , Dragic was approached by about a dozen people seeking autographs or selfies – plus one who wanted him to have a video chat with a child home studying. Dragic never complained, routinely getting up from his soup, salad, broiled snapper and cappuccino nightcap to accommodate every request.

”This is where I want to be,” Dragic said. ”Everything here, it’s the way I want it.”

He’s not going to touch a basketball for a little bit, in desperate need of some time off. Eurobasket – the tournament where Slovenia beat Serbia for the gold medal – went into mid-September, and Dragic didn’t get to Miami until the day before training camp. He basically hasn’t had a break from playing for a full year, and paid the price for that this season with the Heat.

Dragic was an All-Star for the first time, but dealt with nagging injuries, and soreness in his right knee limited him considerably in Miami’s five-game playoff loss to Philadelphia.

”I felt it the whole season,” Dragic said. ”Mentally I was OK but physically I had minor injuries. You know those injuries, if you keep playing they never go away. But it was nothing serious that I could not play. You’re always battling against your thoughts, against your head. But if you’re asking me if I would do it again … yeah.”

Thing is, he won’t be doing it again.

Slovenian officials came to Miami this season begging Dragic to reconsider his decision to retire from the national team, and he declined. The only thing that will lure Dragic back into the international game is if Slovenia makes the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which won’t be easy especially if he isn’t going to partake in qualifying.

He’s also been asked to consider running for political office Adrian Amos Jersey , which is an absolute non-starter for Dragic. But summers in Slovenia are still very important, both for relaxation and to remind his kids of their heritage.

”My country, they give me everything,” Dragic said. ”I was in school there. They make me (the) person I am now. I have friends, family, we always as a family we’re really tight. I always cherish my ancestors, my grandpa, great-grandpa, what they did for us, especially my dad who moved from Bosnia. He started a new life in Slovenia so basically I grew up there.”

He plans on returning to the U.S. around mid-August, a month or so before training camps open for the 2018-19 season.

And he’s desperately hoping he’ll remain in Miami.

”I think we have all the pieces here,” Dragic said. ”I think I’ll be better. I think we’ll be better. I want to see how good we can be.”

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