Packers: Predicting next contract for pending free agent Aaron Jones
The Green Bay Packers had the opportunity to franchise tag Aaron Jones for about $8 million a season, but officially passed on that chance on Tuesday afternoon. Now, the two sides must come to a contract agreement if the stud running back is to return to the team next season. And that’s looking more and more unlikely.
The Packers reportedly offered Jones over $9 million per year during the season and Jones responded by firing his agent and hiring a notoriously tough negotiator in Drew Rosenhaus. That signals he’s not happy with that offer and wants closer to $12-to-14 million per season like Dalvin Cook and Alvin Kamara. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on which way you look at it), that would be extremely difficult for Green Bay to swing considering their current financial situation.
With free agency just a week away, that likely means Jones has played his last game with the Green and Gold. That’s a sad predicament considering he’s a perfect fit for Matt LaFleur’s offense and has racked up over 3,000 yards in total offense and 30 touchdowns over the last two years. However, that’s the business side of the NFL.
Green Bay Packers’ running back Aaron Jones is a free agent this offseason so let’s make a prediction about the next contract he’ll sign.
As we did with center Corey Linsley, let’s take a look at the type of money Jones is likely to receive in free agency. He’s already been linked to the Miami Dolphins and he will probably receive a huge contract.
Although this isn’t a loaded running back free-agent class at the top–Jones is clearly the lead dog–it is a fairly deep one. That includes guys like Jamaal Williams, James White, Duke Johnson, Chris Carson, Marlon Mack and more. Considering the plethora of available running backs, it’s conceivable teams could choose to go bargain hunting instead of paying up.
Next. Packers: 5 bold predictions for free agency. dark
However, Jones’ talent is undeniable and he’s proven he can be a force in both the running and passing games. His agent is also a very good negotiator and will work very hard to get his client the money he’s asking for. It’s for those reasons I believe he’ll sign a massive contract this offseason.
Prediction: Four years, $52 million