After a roller coaster of a first day of free agency for the Green Bay Packers, fans felt another gut punch on Tuesday morning, with Aaron Jones deciding on who he will play for in 2024.
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NFL insider Dianna Russini with The Athletic shared via X on Tuesday morning that Jones was planning to sign a one-year, $7 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
Aaron Jones is expected to sign with Vikings on a one-year deal for $7 million, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 12, 2024
The move comes less than 24 hours after the Packers released Jones, who had spent his entire career in Green Bay after being drafted by the team in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The Packers had already found their replacement before parting ways with the former Pro Bowler, signing veteran running back Josh Jacobs to a four-year deal worth up to $48 million.
In a report from Russini and Matt Schneidman via The Athletic, the Packers had reportedly asked Jones to take a 50 percent pay cut in order to stay with the team a year after taking a $5 million paycut to help the team manage their cap situation. Jones and his side seemed uninterested in taking a paycut for the second straight year, and talks broke down before the Packers shifted their focus to finding another running back in free agency.
Now, Jones will be the latest former Packers player to join the team's NFC North rival. Previous fan favorites to switch sides have included Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, kicker Ryan Longwell, and most recently star pass rusher Za'Darius Smith.
At 29 years old, Jones should still have something left in the tank for the Vikings. Despite an injury-riddled 2023 season, Jones had one of the best stretches of his career at the end of the regular season and the playoffs, rushing for over 100 yards in each of his last five games, averaging an impressive 5.7 yards per carry.
Packers fans are now just hoping that Jones doesn't have the same kind of success in the two games he's slated to play against his old team.
