BIG $ VS. SMALL LIFESPAN
The year is 2019, Green Bay has fired Super Bowl winning Head Coach Mike McCarthy. Green Bay has just finished back-to-back season below .500. The Pack hires former Tennessee Titans Offensive Coordinator Matt LaFleur. LaFleur brought out the best in running backs Derrick Henry and Todd Gurley in Tennessee and in Los Angeles, respectively. Could he replicate his success with Aaron Jones? Jones was an enigma. In his first two seasons, he had not eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing. But could LaFleur make the most of his talents? Fast forward two years and two NFC Championship defeats – Jones inks a 4-year, $48 million deal. But is it worth it?
LaFleur did manage to get some good output from Jones, with two back-to-back 1,000-yard years. But running backs don’t exactly have the longest careers. According to NFL Official Statistics, the average career length of an NFL running back is 3.3 years. As opposed to a quarterback’s career, which is 4.87 years. Although running backs Christian McCaffery and Ezekiel Elliot both received big paydays, they both had rather unproductive 2020 seasons. Elliot had a career high 4 fumbles, and McCaffery missed most of the year due to injuries. Does this lead to the point that running backs do not need to be highly paid?
Jones was a 5th round pick in 2018 by Green Bay, selected behind 2nd string back and current free agent Jamal Williams. He broke out in 2019, but was used as a speed back not as a power back. A speed back is primarily used in stretch runs and pitches in the run game, and wheel routes and screens in the pass game. A power back is used for dives and other interior runs. But in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Green Bay selected A.J. Dillon, a power back from Boston College. Was Jones’s time with Green Bay coming to an end?
After Green Bay’s loss to the Bucs in the NFC Championship, Jones’s future in Green Bay came under severe doubt. After only 27 rushing yards and 2 fumbles, he left the game due to a chest injury after a hit by Devin White. Green Bay has a tight salary cap situation and with two pending free agent running backs, Jones and Williams, they had an interesting situation. But with the release of cap-burners Christian Kirksey and Rick Wagner, the Packers found the cap space to sign Jones to his contract.
If Jones has a lackluster year, who is to blame? The Green Bay front office has made some questionable decisions in the past, such as trading up for Jordan Love, and seeing Aaron Rodgers win MVP the next year. Also, Green Bay dropped a ton of free agent money on Jimmy Graham, currently on Chicago’s roster. Will this be the year that the Packers hit on their signing?
