BREAKING: Plans for a $11 million star revealed by the Packers

According to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinal article, the Green Bay Packers visited with the agents of star running back Aaron Jones during the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis in an attempt to modify his contract and reduce his cap number.

The 29-year-old Jones will count $11 million against the cap this season; the Packers would prefer to see this amount drastically reduced, especially since quarterback Jordan Love is expected to receive a huge contract deal this offseason.

“The Packers would release him and then hope whatever they are offering isn’t matched on the open market,” Tom Silverstein said, if the two are unable to come to an agreement in the next two weeks. They would have the opportunity to re-sign him at their terms if it wasn’t.

The Packers would create $11.85 million in additional cap space for the 2024 season and incur a $5.71 million dead money charge if they released Jones prior to the start of the new league year and designated him as a June 1 cut.

In addition to earning a $11 million base salary in the last year of a four-year contract he signed with the Packers back in 2021, Jones is expected to count $17.5 million against the cap this next season.

Why Aaron Jones and the Packers Could Play Hard Ball

There is some power that general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers have over Jones, particularly considering the abundance of free agency running backs that Jones would be joining if he were released by Green Bay.

Among this year’s free-agent running backs, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard, Austin Ekeler, and D’Andre Swift are major star players. Whether Jones might earn one of the best contracts available is still up in the air, especially after a season marred by hamstring and knee issues.
The Packers only have about $12.7 million in cap space, despite the salary cap rising to $255.4 million this summer.

As Spotrac notes, Jones’ anticipated contract is estimated to be approximately $5.1 million for a year, which is significantly less than his market value.

Given its apparent bargaining power, Green Bay is probably going to favor allocating a significant portion of Jones’ existing contract space to higher-profile roles on the team.