After we posted our one-liner this morning about the three Jacksonville Jaguars who are absent from organized team activities, we wanted to say a little more about why those three players are absent.

With defensive end Paul Spicer, the issue appears to be related to his contract. He’s heading into the final year of his deal and is scheduled to make $2.5 million this season.

With running back Fred Taylor, he has typically preferred to do his own individual spring workout regimen, and the team figures that since he’s in good enough shape that he has back-to-back years of more than 1,000 yards and five yards a carry after his 30th birthday, they’re not going to ask him to change anything.

And with safety Jamaal Fudge, he has a couple more weeks of classes at Clemson to earn his degree.

“It’s something he asked in advance if he could do and I said, ‘absolutely,’” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said of Fudge. “We’re proud of him for going back and finishing up, and he’ll be back to join us shortly.”

Technically, Fudge didn’t have to ask Del Rio for permission, as organized team activities are voluntary. But the reality of life in the NFL is that while veterans like Spicer and Taylor get leeway when it comes to voluntary workouts, guys like Fudge — a third-year player who has never started a game — are expected to have a good reason if they’re not going to be at OTAs.

Fudge said he appreciated the support of Del Rio and his position coach, Donnie Henderson.

“I only had two classes, one of them an internship, so there was no reason to wait and put it off,” Fudge said. “When Coach Del Rio gave me the okay, I talked to Coach Henderson and we were able to work it out.”