Only hours before Aaron Jones was set to become an unrestricted free agent, the Green Bay Packers held firm and were still able to extend their Pro Bowl running back. The deal is for four years and worth up to $48 million, including a $13 million signing bonus.
“We anticipated bigger offers in free agency, but Aaron wanted to stay with the Packers,” said Drew Rosenhaus.” We hear similar words from agents all the time, but in this case, it’s probably accurate. While the money is certainly good, even with so many teams dealing with serious salary cap issues, it’s hard to believe the 26-year-old Jones wouldn’t have done better had he sold his services to the highest bidder starting Monday at noon. But the soft-spoken former fifth-round draft pick from UTEP has always expressed how much he enjoys playing in Green Bay, and now he’ll get the chance to do so for at least a few more years.
Retaining Jones should keep the Packers’ offense among the best in the league next season, as long as general manager Brian Gutekunst can shore up the offensive line between now and the opener in early September. All-Pro Corey Linsley is almost certain to sign with another team in the next 72 hours, and All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari could miss as many as six games while continuing to rehab the ACL he tore on New Year’s Eve. That leaves Pro Bowl guard Elgton Jenkins, a few journeymen, and a handful of unproven youngsters as the only healthy O-linemen on the current roster. Hey, even a $48 million running back needs quality blockers in front of him.
Unlike last year’s talks with Bakhtiari and Pro Bowl nose tackle Kenny Clark, the Packers weren’t desperate to extend Jones. That’s because they spent a second-round pick last April on A.J. Dillon, who looked impressive in limited opportunities as a rookie. Quality depth allows a general manager to negotiate from a position of real strength, and while official details of the contract have yet to be released, this is obviously a team-friendly deal. From what’s been reported so far, the money puts Jones in the same financial neighborhood as the Bengals’ Joe Mixon. It’s certainly a good place to be, but it probably won’t allow him to carpool with the likes of Alvin Kamara (Saints), Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys), Dalvin Cook (Vikings), Christian McCaffrey (Panthers), and Derrick Henry (Titans).
The Packers were about $500,000 under the salary cap as of Sunday afternoon, so they’ll need to create more space by Wednesday to accommodate Jones’ new deal. An extension with outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith is expected to be announced in the next 24 to 48 hours, and that could clear $10 million. Further moves with MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers and All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams are also possibilities in the days and weeks to come.
It’s never a good idea to let great young players get away so I’m happy we’re keeping Jones. However, this does make drafting Dillon so high even more questionable than it seemed at the time. I gave Gutey the benefit of the doubt because I assumed Jones wasn’t going to be resigned. I can’t really figure out Gutey’s plan, but I’m not complaining about back to back NFCC games.
Could’ve just resigned Jamaal Williams and used last year’s second round pick on a cornerback or defensive lineman.