Reversing course After Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets, Aaron Jones became the team’s leader and most important player.
Although it’s Jordan Love’s show right now, Jones showed how valuable he was to Green Bay in the locker room and on the field in 2023 by catching 30 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown in addition to rushing for 656 yards and two touchdowns.
Although those figures may not seem impressive, bear in mind that Jones missed multiple games due to a hamstring injury. Regardless, anyone who watched the games the previous season can attest to the fact that Green Bay’s offense was far more explosive when Jones was on the field than when he wasn’t.
And yet, Jones is now a part of the Minnesota Vikings, even though general manager Brian Gutekunst stated at the conclusion of the previous season that he would return for 2024.
Discuss whiplash. Packers fans must have been hurt to see Jones go, but to the Vikings?
Between “We’d love to have Aaron back” and this moment, what transpired?
Cheesehead TV’s Gutekunst said, “The landscape changed.” “Quite honestly, after we failed to reach the understanding we had hoped for with Aaron, some unexpected opportunities also presented themselves. Even though it can be challenging to let go of a player like Aaron and everything he has done for the team, you must act in the best interests of the Green Bay Packers.I believe the organization is due for that.”
The chance to sign Josh Jacobs, a former All-Pro who is three years younger than Jones and obviously has plenty of juice left in the tank, was undoubtedly the one that opened up. The Packers saw Jacobs as an improvement over Jones’ all-around approach after he ran for 805 yards and six touchdowns in just 13 games the previous season and 2,053 yards from scrimmage and 12 rushing touchdowns the year before while healthy.
Even so, the Packers will undoubtedly suffer from Jones’s lack of leadership now that he is playing for one of their bitter rivals. Jacobs may be an improvement on the field.
Gutekunst had to make that calculation while the landscape was shifting, and it was evident in his mind that Green Bay would be fine if it found a new pulse by 2024 and beyond.
Leave a Reply