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A shrinking running back market and a depressed ceiling took a big chunk of the franchise brand’s number in the position. With the Packers signing the running back Aaron Jones in a four-year deal, $ 48 million with a $ 13 million signing bonus, an obvious question arises: Why did the Packers simply not score Jones this year and, if necessary, the next?
With the running back franchise brand at $ 8.655 million in 2021, the Packers could have paid $ 19.041 million in the next two years, given the 20 percent increase Jones would have made if it were scored again in 2022. They would also have been protected from injury or inefficiency in 2021, allowing them to exit a seven-digit one-year deal. Ultimately, it would make little sense for the Packers to commit to paying more than $ 19.041 million over the next two years.
The difference, of course, is that the Packers will have a couple of years of option at the end of Jones’ contract, where they can choose to keep it if they want to.
Regardless, the franchise brand dynamics become another interesting data point in the full details and analysis of the Jones contract. The signing bonus puts him well ahead of the game under the 2021 mark. If Jones ends up with more than $ 19.041 million fully guaranteed in the signature, Jones will also be ahead of the game by 2022.