Not so long ago, the Green Bay Packers had a reliable running back in Aaron Jones. He was a fan favorite and a productive player when healthy; needless to say, the thought of moving on from him seemed far-fetched at the time.
Ultimately, his age and reluctance to take a pay cut led to his departure. That's why Packers fans might be sad to realize that this time, he's done for a divisional rival what he refused to do for Green Bay.
According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the former Packers star has agreed to a revised contract to stay with the Minnesota Vikings. He'll lower his base salary to just $5.5 million per year so he can stay with Kevin O'Connell's team. That development has to hurt for Packers fans.
Aaron Jones' Paycut with the Vikings is a Gut Punch to Packers Fans
Everybody wanted Jones to stay in Green Bay, and the ball was on his court. Granted, the Packers turned out more than fine, as they replaced him with a younger, better, every-down back in Josh Jacobs, but that's not the point.
Jones may have finally come to terms with the fact that he's no longer a star; maybe not even a starting-caliber running back. As such, he knows this might be the end of the line for him, and he'd probably have to settle for far less money than what he ultimately got to stay in the Twin Cities.
Still, there's no reason to think the Packers wouldn't have probably considered bringing him back if he became a free agent. They've spoken highly of him in the past, he's familiar with Matt LaFleur's offense, and Emanuel Wilson will probably leave in free agency. Now, all hopes of a potential reunion before retirement might not be realistic.
The Packers will look to bolster their rushing attack with better run-blocking in 2026. Josh Jacobs was constantly hit at or behind the line of scrimmage, limiting his ability to pick up a head of steam, and he wasn't able to be his usual efficient, tackle-breaking self because of that.
Even so, Jacobs wound up having a solid 2025 campaign, even if it was disappointing by his standards. He made 15 appearances (all starts) and turned 234 carries into 929 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and a whopping 13 touchdowns. He also had 36 receptions on 44 targets for 282 yards and one touchdown.
Jones, on the other hand, missed five games and had just 548 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 132 attempts (4.2 yards per carry), adding 28 catches for 199 yards and another score. Clearly, the Packers got the better side of the bargain.