Will the Green Bay Packers re-sign Aaron Jones before free agency starts?
The franchise tag deadline has come and gone and the Green Bay Packers did not use their tag to extend negotiations with running back Aaron Jones.
Green Bay has one week left to agree to a deal with their dynamic running back before the start of free agency.
Jones, a four-year, $2.6 million contract, is coming to an end and could potentially be an unrestricted free agent if the Packers can't agree to a new deal. But it seems that the running back is searching for better offers and probably won't return to Green Bay.
Will the Packers try to re-sign Aaron Jones?
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Packers will continue their attempt to re-sign Jones before the league year opens on March 17th.
Green Bay doesn't want to let go of one of their top playmakers, but Jones is ready to feel what the market has to offer, especially now that he doesn't have a franchise tag.
The fifth-round pick has been a productive running back since entering the league in 2017. Jones is also the lowest-drafted Green Bay running back since Dorsey Levens (a fifth-round pick) in 1997.
The 26-year-old ran for 1,084 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2019. Including the playoffs that season, Jones scored 23 times, the most in the franchise's history.
In 2020 Jones ran for 1,104 yards, 5.5 yards per attempt, and nine touchdowns.
Jones' rushing yards ranked him fourth in the NFL last season despite missing two games with a calf injury.
If Jones hits the market, he is expected to be one of the top offensive free agents.
The 2020 pro-bowler delivered over 3,000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns over the last two seasons. He is one of only two players in the league's history to post over 3000 rushing yards (3,364) and over 35 rushing touchdowns (37), with an average of five yards per carry (5.2) in their first four seasons.
He is in an optimum position to secure a big payday and enter the higher range of running back contracts, salary per year, and guaranteed money.
Green Bay has prepared for a losing Jones scenario and drafted running back AJ Dillion in the second round last year.
Green Bay has reportedly made several contentious offers to Jones during the season, but they lacked sufficient guaranteed money. Unless the Packers are ready to offer more money guaranteed, Aaron Jones will likely play for a new team in 2021, and the Packers will start the A.J. Dillon era.