Packers, Aaron Jones agree to four-year extension

Aaron Jones‘ time with the Green Bay Packers isn’t over yet.

Just a day before Jones could speak with other teams during the “league tampering” window, he has signed a contract extension with the Packers.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, it’s a four-year deal worth $48 million. That works out at $12 million per year.

What’s going to be interesting is how the contract is structured. It will tell us a lot about how the Packers can approach free agency, but the likelihood is they will be limited in what they can do moving forward. But it would also be difficult to find a player as talented as Jones in free agency.

Jones extension shows Packers are focusing on present

Re-signing running backs doesn’t always work out, but in the Packers’ case, they are a team looking to win it all right now.

In two years under Matt LaFleur, Jones has 3,313 total yards and 35 touchdowns including the playoffs. Not only a three-down back, but one of the best at his position in the NFL.

Replacing Jones would be close to impossible. Now, they will enter 2021 with one of the strongest backfields in the NFL. What this means for Jamaal Williams’ future is unclear, but if Williams isn’t re-signed, a Jones-AJ Dillon 1-2 punch would be fun to watch.

This deal has a very similar feel to back in 2014 when Green Bay left it late to re-sign Randall Cobb and Sam Shields. Both players looked set to hit free agency but re-signed just before the new league year got underway.

Now, Jones deservedly receives a big contract that makes him one of the highest-paid running backs in the league. For the Packers, they are bringing back a key player who will once again play an important role in their Super Bowl push in the coming years.