Packers: Ranking future contract extension priorities
By Jesse Fry
3. Aaron Jones
I know there are many Packers fans who feel Aaron Jones should be higher on this list. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t disagree with the importance of Jones in the Packers lineup. What he did for the Packers in 2019 can’t go unnoticed. But, the running back position has a tricky value.
You have players like Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Christian McCaffrey who are their teams’ offense. And then you have players like Alvin Kamara and Aaron Jones who are great chess pieces but need a complementary back.
Kamara suffered last year without Mark Ingram. Latavius Murray did a good job as a replacement but he was no Ingram, and Kamara taking on a larger role proved to be a bit troublesome as he battled injuries throughout the year.
Kamara is projected to reach around the four years, $60 million mark on his next contract, a number the Packers shouldn’t even think about coming close to with Jones.
The Packers would be foolish to spend an estimated $15 million a year on a running back. Especially when you see who else needs an extension this coming year.
The NFL has proven you can find running backs all over the place, and for cheap. So, the Packers should set their price and not budge from that number.
If the worst-case scenario presents itself and Jones’ asking price be too big, the Packers could fall back on Jamaal Williams at a cheaper price. That may not have the same dynamic as Jones and AJ Dillon could have, but it’s also not a bad fall back option.