Green Bay Packers & Aaron Jones “Starting Over” on Contract Talks

It’s been reported that Aaron Jones found a new agent, and he and the Green Bay Packers will be “starting over” when it comes to contract talks.

Coming into the 2020 season, there was already a heavy focus on the Green Bay Packers’ 2021 free-agent class. This star-studded group included David Bakhtiari, Kenny Clark, Corey Linsley, Aaron Jones, Kevin King, and Jamaal Williams. Since then, Clark and Bakhtiari have received extensions, while everyone else remains a pending free agent.

With the lowered salary cap in 2021 due to no fans in the stands, plus Kevin King’s injury history and the fact that Elgton Jenkins looks pretty darn good at center, my guess is that many Packer fans have come to the conclusion that neither King nor Linsley will be back. However, when it comes to Jones, that decision isn’t as clear amongst the fan base.

As we’ve seen around the NFL, teams don’t need a high-priced running back to make the playoffs or even to win a Super Bowl. Actually, in 2019, the teams with the four highest-paid running backs all missed the playoffs. But you can’t deny that this Green Bay Packers’ offense just looks different when Jones is on the field.

So what should GM Brian Gutekunst do?

In February at the NFL Combine, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that Jones and Green Bay were open to discussing a contract extension. In May, Demovsky again reported that contract talks between the two parties had taken place. Most recently in August, Ian Rapoport would report that Jones was a “priority” for Green Bay.

But even with all that smoke, there doesn’t appear to be any fire. Just before kickoff this past Sunday against Detroit, Demovsky reported that the Packers and Jones were “unable to reach a deal” and that the two parties will be “starting over” as Jones seeks a new agent.

"“Aaron Jones is seeking new representation as he heads into the final month of the season with an expiring contract, sources told ESPN. The two sides have been in on-going negotiations but were unable to reach a deal, and now it appears they’re starting over. No paperwork has been filed with NFLPA yet to name a new agent.”"

We don’t know how far apart the two sides were in their original negotiations, but Spotrac is projecting that Jones earns $13.3 million per year on his new deal, while Pro Football Focus had him at an average annual value of $11.25 million. Either way, that’s likely a bit higher than what the Packers are willing to pay him.

Even with contract negotiations “starting over” and Jones bringing in Drew Rosenhaus as his new agent, I don’t see a deal getting done between the two parties. In a perfect world, we’d love to have Jones back, but given the nature of the running back position and its replaceability, along with a shrinking salary cap in 2021, and the fact that Green Bay spent a second-round pick on AJ Dillon and could bring back Jamaal Williams — a solid all-around back in his own right — at a lesser amount, I think the writing is on the wall.

While individually, Williams and Dillon aren’t Aaron Jones, those two can absorb his absence, still giving the Packers a productive backfield, and save Green Bay a chunk of cap space in the process.

Who knows, maybe things work out and Jones is back, but I don’t see that being in the cards–even with a new agent and starting contract talks over.