The thought of moving on from star running back Aaron Jones seemed inconceivable to Green Bay Packers fans a few months ago. Over seven seasons with the organization, Jones has been one of the team"s most consistent performers and hardest workers.
In a shocking move last month, the Packers released Jones and replaced him with two-time Pro Bowler Josh Jacobs. The move came as such a surprise that even head coach Matt LeFleur was unaware of what was going on behind the scenes.
“It kind of caught me off guard, to be honest with you," said LeFleur per a recent article in Pro Football Talk. “There were some other things in play, obviously with Aaron Jones, and I didn’t quite know how everything was going to go. It just happened really fast on that Monday."
Matt LaFleur: Cutting Aaron Jones, signing Josh Jacobs "caught me off guard." https://t.co/0ulbnHaG1D
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 1, 2024
Jones did not have any difficulty finding a new home with the Minnesota Vikings moving quickly to snap up the 29-year-old back, agreeing to a one-year $7 million contract.
“It happened really fast, so I don’t know all the details of that. I’m not involved in those types of conversations. But we were super excited [to get Jacobs]," added LeFleur.
Despite injury concerns, Jones finished the 2023 season with 656 rushing yards and 3 total touchdowns, helping guide the Packers to the playoffs.
With the departure of Aaron Jones and Davante Adams over the last two seasons, holding on to one of the team"s star offensive weapons should have been a priority for the Packers. Instead the team will continue to rebuild their offense behind rising star Jordan Love.
