The Green Bay Packers will have to make many tough decisions this offseason and chances are that their first order of business will be determining Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones’ future with the franchise.
Jones is set to become a free agent in March after he and the Packers couldn’t come to an agreement about a new deal. Previous reports indicated that the organization is already set to let the player walk away, but recent comments from Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst indicate otherwise.
Speaking with Green Bay Press-Gazette on Monday, Gutekunst explained that the franchise would “love” to have the 26-year-old star back for the 2021 NFL season and beyond.
“We would love to have Aaron back,” said Gutekunst. “I think he’s such an important part of our offense this year, he’s a dynamic player. He’s absolutely everything we want in a professional football player. So we’d certainly like to bring him back.”
The Packers have several ways to make this happen. They can offer Aaron Jones a new deal before he hits the free-agent market and make sure no team can lure him away. They can also franchise tag him, which would buy them more time to work out a new contract.
Still, none of this seems likely. Jones reportedly has an issue with guaranteed money that he would get with his new contract, while Green Bay isn’t ready to make changes there.
Jones had career-high 1,104 rushing yards in 2020 while adding nine touchdowns. He also 47 passed for 355 yards and two scores.
