Aaron Jones’ amazing run of 100-yard rushing games at the close of the season demonstrates why the Packers need to spend a high draft pick to strengthen the run
ning back position.GREEN BAY, Wis. – In the court of public opinion, running back has been deemed an overrated position. Green Bay Packers star Aaron Jones would like to offer a rebuttal.For as great as Jordan Love played down the stretch, it was Jones’ string of dominant performances that carried the team to the brink of the NFC Championship Game. Jones ran for 108 yards in Saturday’s season-ending loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He finished the season on a franchise-record five-game streak of 100-plus rushing yards. With Jones sidelined or limited by hamstring and knee injuries for most of the season, Green Bay’s offense generally operated in fits and starts. With Jones fresh and healthy for the stretch run, the offense caught fire.
Amazing, according to Jones, is the season. It’s the best squad I’ve ever been on, to be honest. Simply the way we unite and have faith in one another. We are concerned about one another. We are all cousins and brothers. All of us are like family. We’re all connected in some way. When you know those guys genuinely care about you, it’s delightful. Just a glance at the field reveals that we are competing against one another. It hurts a little bit more because we were competing with each other for that reason.
Love’s play-action passer rating for the final three regular season games and the wild-card round was a near-perfect 154.8 thanks to Jones’ prolific run-producing abilities. Running Play is precisely how head coach Matt LaFleur wants his offense to function.
On the other hand, Jones turned 29 in December. When it comes to running back, age matters. Twenty-nine-year-old running backs have carried for 1,000 yards since the year 2000. On the other hand, 1,000 yards were rushed by 30 running backs who were 30 years of age or older, of whom 15 were 30 and 10 were 31.
Jones should definitely return for another season, especially after his outstanding final-quarter effort. He is entitled to a base salary of $11.1 million, negotiable even in the absence of a pay reduction.
Jones remarked, “I’ve always been the underdog, so it’s always fun to prove people wrong.” “We were actually shutting out the sounds from outside.” What other people thought didn’t matter to us. We even had people—I’m talking about the media—entering our own locker room who didn’t think well of us. All we have is faith in one another. We stick together because that’s all we have and what we need.The argument against paying a running back is obvious. Of the 10 highest-paid running backs this season by total contract value, only Jones and San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey reached the playoffs. The argument against using a lot of draft capital on a running back is obvious, too. The Falcons used the eighth pick of this year’s draft on Bijan Robinson. Considered one of the best running back prospects in years, Robinson had 1,463 total yards in helping the Falcons go from 7-10 in 2022 to … 7-10 in 2023.However, the full power of LaFleur’s offense was unleashed when Jones was healthy for the stretch run. Running backs might not be “important” for every team but they are for the Packers. Looking forward, the Packers need to use a premium draft pick to add another dynamic running back. Whether it’s a stylistic clone of Jones or a new-and-improved model of free-agent-to-be AJ Dillon, the Packers need a well-stocked running back room.
It’s clear that Jones is not getting any younger. The Packers must immediately improve their running game; they cannot afford to wait until Week 15. Making the grind from a No. 7 seed to the Super Bowl is simply too difficult. Heck, he might be done being amazing after this five-game streak.
General manager Brian Gutekunst wants to locate a ready-made, all-around running back who can split carries when Jones is healthy and handle the load when Jones is hurt. Gutekunst has five picks in the first three rounds.
The Packers should thus take an even more circumspect stance with Jones than they usually do. Jones has shown to be one of the NFL’s best running backs during the past five games. The Packers are an exceptional team with Jones in top form.
Jones declared, “The future is bright.” It wasn’t intended for us to be here. Even though we may have won six games, the doubters and detractors nonetheless managed to get us this far. We had confidence in ourselves. We went through a little difficult period, but it shaped who we are now, and I believe that will make us stronger.
The Packers find themselves back in a position they are familiar with with Love’s ascent. While the team’s preparation for December and January should be the focus of the entire season, games in September, October, and November are still crucial.
The secret to achieving that is to retain Jones and provide him with a strong new sidekick.
