CHARLOTTE — You’d be hard-pressed to find a player more beloved in the Packers locker room than Aaron Jones, not only for what he does on the field but who he is off it.
The seventh-year running back has endured the most injury-riddled season of his prolific career in 2023, hampered almost all year by hamstring and knee injuries. He pulled his hamstring at the end of a 35-yard touchdown catch in Week 1 against the Bears and didn’t fully heal until more than halfway through the season. He then sprained his MCL in Week 11 against the Chargers and missed three games, returning last Sunday against the Buccaneers on limited snaps.
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Against the Panthers, with the Packers essentially needing to win out to keep their playoff hopes alive, Jones showed why he’s still ol’ reliable.
Jones is a grandpa in running back years at 29 years old. He took a significant pay cut to stay with the Packers in 2023 and has one year remaining on his contract, a potential cut or trade candidate after this season. But Sunday, after running for 127 yards on 21 carries in a 33-30 win, it’s clear Jones should be neither. At the very least, the Packers should keep Jones in 2024, not as a charity case because of what he has meant to the franchise but for what he still is — a dynamic playmaker and arguably the Packers’ most important player outside the quarterback position.
Does Jones like reminding everyone that he’s still got it?
“One hundred percent,” he said with a smile. “I think I showed that Week 1 and I just haven’t been healthy to get out there and show it again. Finally getting back healthy, I feel like I showed people, a lot of the doubters, people who may be saying, ‘Oh, he’s getting too old. Blah, blah, blah.’ It felt good.”
Aaron Jones, who ran for 127 yards today, says the Packers “definitely feel like a playoff team.”
“We show when we’re playing our best ball that we can compete with anybody.” pic.twitter.com/pgL9og0RiE
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) December 24, 2023
Jones entered Sunday’s game tied for sixth in NFL history among running backs with 5 yards per carry in his career. Against the Panthers, he had 6 yards per rush on 21 carries, along with an eight-yard catch on which he somehow maintained his balance while staying inbounds near the sideline to finish his Sunday tally at 135 total yards. The Panthers entered Sunday last in the NFL in defensive rush expected points added per snap, according to TruMedia, and Jones took advantage.
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It took until Week 16 for the Packers to have a 100-yard rusher or receiver, but Jones finally did it. And the only two games in which the Packers have scored at least 30 points are those in which Jones has eclipsed 100 total yards, Week 1 and Week 16.
“Any time you have the caliber of a back like Aaron Jones, it really opens up other things in your offense,” head coach Matt LaFleur said.
Jones’ reemergence, if you will, was even more important Sunday since the Packers were without wide receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed for the entire game, then played the second half without receiver Dontayvion Wicks after the rookie sustained a chest injury on his second-quarter touchdown catch.
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Jones helped Green Bay set the tone on offense, running for 10 yards and 13 yards on the first two plays from scrimmage. The two runs looked identical, with Green Bay’s offensive line pulling left and Jones cutting back toward the middle and into daylight. On the first run, Jones didn’t get touched until about seven yards past the line of scrimmage. On the second run, first contact came about nine yards downfield. Jones amassed 34 yards on four touches on the Packers’ first four plays. Two plays later, Jones ran for another 12 yards. He also added a season-long 39-yard scamper around the right edge to start Green Bay’s second drive, which ended in a second consecutive touchdown to start the afternoon.
“It felt good, especially to see those first two runs go the way that they did,” Jones said. “It was good to be back out there in that rhythm with my guys, feeling it in the zone. They did a great job of just blocking things up for me and getting movement and allowing me to run … I wouldn’t say I was fully 100 percent, but who’s ever 100 percent in December? But definitely getting back to myself and feeling better each week as the weeks go on. Hopefully next week I come out there and I am 100 percent.”
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Added quarterback Jordan Love: “When you can run the ball first and second down and get huge gains and kind of just convert and keep those drives rolling, it’s huge. It takes pressure off the pass game and keeps the defense on their heels, trying to find ways to stop the run.”
Running back might be Green Bay’s most intriguing position this offseason. Jones is entering the final year of his deal and cutting or trading him would free up almost $5 million in cap space. AJ Dillon is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency. Emanuel Wilson showed flashes as an undrafted rookie out of Division II Fort Valley State before a shoulder injury sent him to injured reserve. And the Packers are loaded with picks on Days 1 and 2 of the upcoming draft, so selecting a running back that early is an option to either take over for Jones or sit behind him for a year before doing so when Jones is 30.
33 all day, heck of a game my brotha @Showtyme_33 ❤️🫡!!! #maybeillgetsomecoolglassesforchristmas pic.twitter.com/NYGpkycO2R
— AJ Dillon (@ajdillon7) December 24, 2023
If you think the Packers should move on from Jones because of his age and recent injury history, though, perhaps flip on the tape of Sunday’s game and then read what his teammates said about him afterward. This is one of those players who is more than just a cap number.
“He’s been a leader behind the scenes, for sure,” rookie tight end Tucker Kraft said. “When he’s not able to be on the field with us, he’s vocal and he wants the best for his teammates. On the field, he makes our jobs way easier. He’s such a freak. He’s making great cuts, getting north-south, and he, as small of a stature he may have compared to some other running backs, he will put his head down and … he’ll bring his own block to the party.”
Wicks: “It’s no surprise. He’s a dog. That’s the person I always talk to about things going on. That’s who I get motivation from.”
Love: “Obviously, we all know what type of player Aaron Jones is. Just being able to get him back 100 percent healthy was huge and he had a great day rushing the ball, made some plays in the pass game, too. Just whenever we can get him back 100 percent, try and get him the ball as much as possible.”
Wide receiver Romeo Doubs: “He’s been that dude. It’s easy outside looking in to speak on what he’s done. He’s had some trials and tribulations throughout the course of this year, but I’m not surprised that he played the way he did because that’s how he always plays.”
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Next week is another must-win game for the Packers, who travel to Minneapolis for what is basically an elimination game on Sunday Night Football against the Vikings, who are also 7-8. Green Bay’s most feasible path to an unlikely playoff berth is to win out against the Vikings and Bears while getting help from either the Rams or Seahawks losing enough.
With a passing game battered and bruised and a defense the furthest thing from trustworthy, the Packers might just have to lean on ol’ reliable in No. 33 to keep their season alive once again.
(Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
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