Green Bay Packers: Aaron Jones wants to be ‘Lifelong Packer’ but will he?

In a call with reporters, Aaron Jones mentioned that he wanted to spend his career with the Green Bay Packers. But is it in the cards?

The 2020 offseason is still going on but the Green Bay Packers already have some difficult decisions ahead of them in 2021. Particularly when it comes to their upcoming free-agent class.

By now you’re probably aware that this group includes Kenny Clark, David Bakhtiari, Aaron Jones, Kevin King, and Corey Linsley. I’m guessing that most will agree that Clark and Bakhtiari must be re-signed, but after that is where things get difficult. Especially when it comes to Aaron Jones.

You didn’t have to watch much of the 2019 Green Bay Packers to realize that this offense looked completely different when Jones was on the field. Although Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are still a potent one-two combo, Jones was the catalyst behind a lot of their success.

During his breakout season, Jones would rush for nearly 1,100 yards with almost 500 more through the air. He led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns and finished with 19 total for the regular season. On top of that, he had some monster performances which included a four-touchdown game in Dallas, 159 receiving yards in Kansas City, and 154 rushing yards in Minnesota.

So with us expecting that Jones is only going to get better, along with his importance to this offense, bringing him back on a new deal seems like a no-brainer. Except, unfortunately, it isn’t that simple.

Over the years the trend of not paying running backs has only grown as more and more teams have found similar success with low-cost free agents or players on rookie deals. Jones is the prime example of this as a fifth-round selection.

In fact, the teams with the four highest-paid running backs in 2019 – Le’Veon Bell, Ezekiel Elliot, David Johnson, and Todd Gurley – didn’t make the playoffs. Now, did they miss the playoffs solely because they gave these running backs big deals? No, not at all. But as we’ve seen with recent Super Bowl winners and successful NFL teams in general, paying top-dollar for a running back isn’t a requirement either.

Just this offseason we saw the Carolina Panthers give Christian McCaffrey a four year – $64 million deal. And while I don’t expect Jones to fetch that much on the open market, with another performance similar to what he did in 2019, he will be in line for a big payday.

At the moment, Spotrac is projecting that in free agency Jones earns a four year deal with an average annual value of $13.1 million. And realistically, considering the other free agents that the Packers have along with other needs that they’ll undoubtedly have to fill, I just don’t see them paying Jones that kind of money.

Now if you’re looking for some good news, it was reported at the NFL Combine that the Green Bay Packers and Jones’ representatives were going to discuss an extension this offseason, which is a much more likely route to keeping Jones in Titletown. And as of Wednesday, Jones’ agent Chris Cabbott told ESPN that “there have been conversations, and there will continue to be.”

To get an idea of what Jones’ contract extension could look like, the Packers just have to look at Austin Ekeler and the Los Angeles Chargers who agreed on a four year – $24.5 million extension earlier this offseason.

Both Jones and Ekeler were rookies in 2017, they are coming off similar career years, and they are each capable players in the run and passing games. Although Jones may demand a bit more than what Ekeler received, even $7 million or $8 million per year is a much more reasonable price range for the Green Bay Packers.

Of course, we also can’t forget that Green Bay just spent their 62nd pick on running back A.J. Dillon. Although his skill-set differs from Jones, if Dillon finds success during his rookie season and showcases that he is a well-rounded back, that certainly doesn’t help Jones’ chances of returning on a new deal.

On Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Jones was asked about the upcoming final year of his contract and as expected, he answered it like a true professional, while also mentioning that he’d love to stay in Green Bay:

"“Whether it’s my first year or my last year on a deal, I’m going to be just as motivated. It doesn’t change just because a contract is on the line for me. I mean, I’m going to continue to work and do everything in my power. I trust my agency and the Packers. With that, I would love to be a lifelong Packer. That’s my take on that.”"

While Jones’ production and fit with this offense are enough reasons to want to bring him back, he’s also been an excellent teammate and he’s the exact type of person that teams want in their locker rooms. When asked by reporters how he was going to top his 2019 performance, Jones’ response exemplified the high-character individual that he is:

"“I want to win the Super Bowl. We were one game short. It’s not all about me, it’s about the team goal.”"

Just given the nature of his position in today’s NFL, despite the importance of Jones to this offense and the numbers that he’s put up, there is no guarantee that he will be back on a second contract. Ultimately, the price has to be right, overpaying the running back position just doesn’t make sense in today’s game.

If I had to guess today, my prediction is that Jones ends up outside of Green Bay’s price range. But with that said, here’s to hoping that you are a lifelong Packer as well, Aaron.