The Green Bay Packers are entering the off-season of 2021 needing to make decisions about a number of important unrestricted free agents. In the coming weeks, we will review the individual situation of all major players with expired contracts.
First: Aaron Jones, the Packers’ Pro Bowl back runner:
Season statistics
AP Photo / Bruce Kluckhohn
Jones played in 14 of the 16 games of the regular season and produced 1,459 yards in total and 11 touchdowns in total. His record of 1,104 run yards was fourth in the NFL. He was also third among running backs qualified in yards per carry (5.5), seventh among all players in yards of scrimmage, tied for 11th in running touchdowns (nine) and tied for 13th in total touchdowns. He took 47 passes for 355 yards and two scores. According to Pro Football Focus, he forced 38 wrong tackles, an average of 3.54 yards after contact and created 26 explosive runs. Jones had three 100-yard run games, including a record of 168 in week 2. He scored a touchdown in 10 of the 16 games in total. While his running yards increased slightly in 2019, he regressed in total yards and total touchdowns in 2020. For the past two seasons, Jones is tied for second among all NFL players in total touchdowns (30) and fifth in total yards ( 3,017). He fumbled twice and was limited to 147 total yards and a touchdown in two postseason games in 2020
Instant counts
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Jones was on the field for 539 snaps during the regular season, or 52 percent of the attack’s total snaps. He played 62 percent last season, but he also appeared in all 16 games. Only four times has he played 70 percent or more of the attack crackles, reflecting Matt LaFleur’s commitment to limit his playing time and keep him fresh throughout the season. Jones ran only 20 or more times in a game.
Season review
AP Photo / Matt Ludtke
Jones was nominated for his first Pro Bowl after creating another dynamic season for the No. 1 scoring attack in football. His volume statistics were not as good as 2019, but he was just as valuable and important in 2020. He averaged 5.5 yards per load and had 26 runs in 10 yards, showing his efficiency and big play ability. An ideal fit in the wide zone racing game, Jones is consistently excellent at pressing the line of scrimmage, finding the right track and exploding on the field. Long touchdown runs against Lions and Eagles were crucial moments in both victories. His three worst yard racing games resulted in the Packers losing (at Buccaneers, Colts, vs. Buccaneers). In approximate value, Jones was the NFL’s third most valuable running back in the past two seasons.
Future value for packers
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High, but it will also be highly valued by teams able to spend on free agency this spring. With two years of evidence to research, it is difficult to imagine a better fit in Matt LaFleur’s attack in the running back position. Jones is an impressive mix of explosiveness, patience, endurance and evasion. Still 26, he has dynamic running skills and can create in the passing game, making him an ideal candidate for a long-term profitable business. Packers are simply not in a position to provide one for a running back, and there is always a significant risk in spending a lot of money on the position. Packers must find out if they want Jones and AJ Dillon as a long-term tandem in the running back, or Dillon is ready to take the lead role. The second round investment suggests that the Packers expect Dillon to be a major contributor in 2021, but it has been reported by several outlets that the Packers have offered Jones good money. It will likely test the open market. He would be stupid if he didn’t. A return to Green Bay seems unlikely.