Contract negotiations between running back Aaron Jones and the Green Bay Packers now have a logical starting point.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Austin Ekeler and the Los Angeles Chargers agreed to a four-year, $24.5 million deal that includes $15 million guaranteed. The deal averages just over $6 million per season but could balloon to $26 million in total value through various incentives.
Just like that, Jones and the Packers have a logical framework for their future deal.
Both Jones and the Packers are interested in getting a new deal done. Jones, a fifth-round pick in 2017, wants the financial security. The Packers want to keep their playmaking running back around long-term.
Jones and Ekeler both entered the NFL in 2017 and have played in a similar number of games, making for an easy comparison. Ekeler, in 46 games, produced 3,047 total yards and 22 total touchdowns. Jones, in 40 games, produced 2,962 total yards and 32 total yards. In terms of Approximate Value, Ekeler sits at 23 through four seasons, while Jones is at 21.
Ekeler’s value is higher in this context due to his production in the passing game, which, on average, is more valuable than in the run game. But Jones is improving greatly in this area, setting new career-highs in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns in 2019.
Last season, Ekeler was on the field for 599 snaps, or almost 57 percent of the Chargers’ offensive snaps. Jones was on the field for 663, or 61.5 percent of the Packers’ offensive snaps. They were used in different ways, but their total usage was comparable.
Getting a new deal done with Jones could be as easy as just matching Ekeler’s deal with the Chargers or improving on it subtly.
In fact, a four-year deal worth somewhere between $28 and $30 million makes a ton of sense. It wouldn’t be hand-cuffing financially for the Packers but would provide Jones with a terrific payday and the type of roster security most running backs don’t enjoy.
The Packers don’t want to trap themselves with a potentially crippling deal at a position that hasn’t been kind to big-money deals. It might be possible, with Jones still having a year left on his deal, for the Packers to avoid the kind of deal that has backfired on teams like the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons in recent years.
Ekeler’s new deal should provide a logical (and safer) path forward for both the Packers and Jones.
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