3 Contract Restructure Candidates for Packers to Free Up Cap Space
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers contract restructure candidate: Aaron Jones
This Green Bay Packers offense runs through Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, but this unit as a whole does not function at the same level when Aaron Jones is out of the lineup—he is so vital to their success.
Once again this season, Jones was a factor both on the ground and through the air. He would rush for 799 yards in 15 games while averaging 4.7 yards per attempt. As a pass-catcher, Jones caught 52 passes, the second-most on the team, for 391 yards. He would also record 10 total touchdowns.
After many of us assumed that Jones would head elsewhere in free agency, he and the Green Bay Packers came to a contract agreement last offseason. Jones would sign a four-year deal worth $48 million—in terms of average annual value, that made Jones the seventh highest-paid running back in the league in 2021.
In 2022, Jones comes with a cap hit of $8.52 million. This includes a base salary of $1.1 million — so very little to work with in terms of restructuring — and a $3.75 million roster bonus.
Green Bay can’t create the same amount of cap space with Jones as they can with Clark and Bakhtiari, but according to Ken Ingalls and Packers Wire, the Packers can still create $2.5 to $3 million in cap savings with a restructure.
All player contract info courtesy of Over the Cap