Packers will sever ties with $48 million star: ‘Foregone conclusion

Aaron Jones, the Packers’ running back, has had a difficult year. He’s had some standout performances, dating back to his Week 1 effort against the Bears and, most recently, his Week 16 performance against the Panthers, in which he tallied a season-high 127 yards. In the meantime, he’s been dealing with a knee ailment that has restricted him to nine mostly unsuccessful games.

He began the season as the Packers’ most significant offensive player. He’ll end it as a serious question mark, maybe playing his last games in Green Bay. That’s the prospect presented by Spotrac’s NFL contract gurus, who have Jones on the “roster bubble” for 2024.

“A knee injury diverted an already low-producing 2023, putting Aaron Jones and his $17.7M cap hit on notice this winter,” said writer Mike Ginnitti. A pre-June 1 release saves the Packers $5.3 million, while pushing this over June 1st saves the Packers $12 million.”

And on the Spotrac podcast, the prediction was even more ominous for Jones, as though the Packers have all but made the decision already

“Aaron Jones from Green Bay it does seem like that’s a foregone conclusion.”

That would be a tragic outcome for a player who has been a fixture in Green Bay since being drafted in the fifth round in 2017. Jones, one of the league’s fastest backs, has three 1,000-yard seasons under his belt, including 1,121 yards last season. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and had a league-high 16 touchdowns in 2019.

But, as we’ve seen time and again in the NFL, Jones turned 29 this year and his output has dipped. This season, he has 425 yards and two touchdowns to his name. He’s averaging 4.3 yards per rush, which isn’t horrible but is the lowest in his career.

“I gotta remember the tough times don’t last forever but it is about the process,” Jones said this month. “It’s about these guys in this locker room. I may not be out there having the year that I want to have or be on the field how I want to be, but it is still about how can I come in here and impact the guys and lead these guys and make sure that they’re ready to play. So my part and be able to provide that spark and be a boost to them.”

Jones signed a four-year, $48 million contract in 2021, which expires next year. The Packers have renegotiated the contract so that the heaviest hit comes next year, perhaps paving the way for his exit. The team is close to the pay cap, but it can make room for improvement by releasing players like Jones and standout tackle David Bakhtiari.

However, Ginnitti believes the Packers should be bold in removing players, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, if they truly want to rebuild the squad.

“I’ve got eight or nine Packers on this list, which scares me because I am not sure the Packers are in a position where they want to rip everything off with Jordan Love and everything. But, they could,” Ginnitti said. “They could easily move eight or nine really prominent names off this roster next year and I don’t know where that leaves them as a franchise. But it’s kind of a hit-or-miss offseason.

“We’ll know early where their head is when we start to see some of these bigger names defensively. I think Bakhtiari and Aaron Jones are for sure off this roster, but they could go a lot deeper with these roster cuts and really free up some situations if they choose to.”