Aaron Jones wouldn't like it.
His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, would be even more ornery.
But if the Green Bay Packers and Jones can’t work out a long-term deal in the next week, the Packers’ best move would be to place the franchise tag on their star running back.
Jones will become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year arrives on March 17. The Packers have until March 9 to use the franchise tag on Jones or risk watching him walk in free agency.
Green Bay, which has come within one game of the Super Bowl each of the last two seasons, certainly won’t improve itself by letting one of its best players leave. And even though the Packers have traditionally shied away from using the franchise tag, general manager Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday he’s strongly considering it with Jones.
“We certainly could,” Gutekunst said of tagging Jones. “I think it’s something we’re working through. Again, it’s not a philosophical thing to avoid it. I do think there’s usually better ways to go about it, but certainly if I think as we get down the road here over the next week or so, if that becomes what is in the best interest of the Packers, I think we’ll do that but at this point, we haven’t done that.”
The last time the Packers applied the franchise tag was in 2010, when they used it on nose tackle Ryan Pickett. But using it on Jones makes perfect sense.
Jones is tied for second in the NFL the last two seasons with 30 total touchdowns. Jones, Tennessee’s Derrick Henry and Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook are the only three players in the NFL with more 2,000 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns the last two years.
Jones has a whopping career average of 5.17 yards per carry, which ranks No. 5 in league history among backs with at least 600 carries. Jones and the great Jim Brown are the only two players in NFL history to post 3,000-plus rushing yards, 35-plus rushing touchdowns and average more than 5.0 yards per carry in their first four seasons.
Jones has more rushing touchdowns (37) in his first four years than any player in team history. And including the playoffs, Jones set a team record with 23 total touchdowns in 2019.
While Green Bay has high hopes for 2019 second round draft pick A.J. Dillon, there’s almost no way Green Bay’s ground game would improve with Jones in a different uniform next season. And if the Packers use the franchise tag, it would only cost them $8.074 million in 2021.
The downside, of course, is players despise the tag as it prevents them from signing a long-term contract where far more money is guaranteed. That often leads to an unhappy employee, whose production declines after they’ve been tagged.
That’s a risk Green Bay must take, though.
According to spotrac.com., the Packers were an estimated $5.77 million over the cap at the end of business Tuesday. Green Bay would have to be creative to free up enough salary cap room to tag Jones, but where there’s a will there a way.
And there definitely should be a will when it comes to keeping Jones, who’s undoubtedly Green Bay’s finest running back since Ahman Green nearly two decades ago.
“There’s a lot that goes into that,” Gutekunst said of tagging Jones. “Really, I think it’s a way to keep a player on your team that you maybe feel you’re not able to sign long-term. Again, we’ve tried to avoid that just because we think there’s better ways to go about it but, at the same time, it is a tool that can be effective if you need it.”
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March 03, 2021 at 08:36AM
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The Green Bay Packers Must Use The Franchise Tag On Aaron Jones - Forbes
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