Sen'Derrick Marks says he'll be a Jaguars fan for life

The Jacksonville Jaguars released veteran defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks roughly an hour before the 2017 NFL free agency period officially started, but the former Jaguar says he doesn't have any hard feelings about no longer being on the roster. The writing was kind of on the wall for Marks last season when the team spent a ton of money in free agency on Malik Jackson, as well as drafting another defensive tackle in Sheldon Day.

Marks was vocal about not being happy as a back up for the Jaguars and his lack of playing time, but when he played he still played his butt off. Though Marks wasn't nearly as effective as he was prior to his unfortunate string of injuries, he's likely still able to offer something to a team this season.

As mentioned Marks wasn't happy about his diminished role on the Jaguars, he says he has no ill will towards the Jaguars and will be a fan of the team for life.

"Came to Jacksonville [in 2013], had tremendous amounts of fun, [and] enjoyed football more than I ever have in the first couples years while I was here," Marks told Mike DiRocco of ESPN at the Blake Bortles Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament on Sunday. "We didn't win much, but I still had a ton of fun. The experiences, you can't trade them in. Jacksonville made me rich, you know what I mean, and you can't say that don't matter."

Marks was in the very first Jaguars free agency class under general manager Dave Caldwell, and he was signed on a one-year prove it contract. Originally the Jaguars signed him to be a run stuffing defensive lineman, but quickly realized how good he was penetrating in the backfield and putting pressure on the quarterback. Marks quickly earned a starting role and was one of the Jaguars best players in 2013. Before the end of the season in 2013, Marks was handed a four-year, $22 million deal, paying off his "prove it" deal. Marks followed up his initial season picking up 8.5 sacks from the defensive tackle spot in 2014, including hitting a bonus with a sack against the Tennessee Titans before tearing his ACL in the final game of the season.

"Dave [Caldwell] recognized the skills and had the faith that I was guy that should be worthy of a paycheck, a guy that should be staying around, so never any hard feelings about it. I'll root for them for the rest of my life," Marks continued.

The Jaguars have been a team that's struck out a lot in free agency and a lot of their signings ended up being complete turds, but Marks is one of the few that really worked out both on and off the field. Marks' play and passion on the field endeared him to fans, even when he was upset about his playing time. Fans knew he was upset about it, but he'd still play his butt off when he got on the field. Marks knows it's a business though, but it's nice to see him hold no hard feelings after being released.