Star running back Aaron Jones and the Green Bay Packers could be headed toward a contract extension this offseason. Jones is entering the last year of his current contract, but there’s growing interest in extending the deal past 2020.
According to Tom Silverstein and Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “mutual interest” exists between Jones and the Packers regarding a potential contract extension.
This comes just a day before ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that Jones’ agent and the Packers are scheduled to meet in the near future.
The Packers may want to tread lightly based on recent history at running back. The contracts of Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Devonta Freeman, Le’Veon Bell and Jerrick McKinnon all pose as cautionary tales for the value of a running back in today’s NFL.
That said, Jones proved in 2019 why he’s arguably the most valuable player on the Packers offense.
Despite not being named to the Pro Bowl, Jones led the NFL in total touchdowns (19) and rushing touchdowns (16) in the regular season and finished with 1,558 scrimmage yards. Including the postseason, Jones finished with 23 total touchdowns, which broke Ahman Green’s record (22) set in 2003.
For what it’s worth, Over the Cap estimates Jones’ 2019 production as being worth a valuation of $11.9 million.
Jones, who just turned 25 years old in December, already earned a nice pay raise this coming season thanks to the NFL’s proven performance escalators. Because Jones logged more than 35% of the total offensive snaps over his first three seasons and was drafted after the third round, his base salary increased to $2.147 million for 2020.
[lawrence-related id=39429,39322,39191,38783,38543]