The Green Bay Packers are in the midst of an ever-changing off-season. The many veterans who have left the team coupled with the influx of draft picks over the last two years have all of a sudden made the Packers one of the youngest teams in the NFL. The last two off-seasons have also seen the Green Bay Packers off-load two of their best players via trade in Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers. Could one more massive trade be on the way?
Aaron Jones Named In Massive Trade To the Buffalo Bills
In an article written by Freddie Boston of Fansided:
Buffalo Bills Receive:
- Running Back Aaron Jones
Green Bay Packers Receive:
- 2024 Second Round Draft Pick
One area that could hold the Buffalo Bills back in the AFC playoff race is its ground game. Their leading rusher from last season, Devin Singletary, now plays for the Houston Texans.
While they have a solid duo of James Cook and Damien Harris, Aaron Jones is a game-changer and could be the missing piece as the Bills aim to make a Super Bowl run.
The Packers kept Jones this offseason, but if they fall out of contention in the first half of the regular season, they need to think about their long-term future. According to Spotrac, Jones’s cap hit in 2024 is $17.72 million, which will be the final year of his contract.
This trade has two major benefits for the Packers. It would reduce Jones’s 2024 cap hit to $12.35 million, and they would also add a premium draft pick from the Bills.
The Bills face tough competition in the AFC, including Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. And that’s just in their division. Elsewhere in the conference, there are the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens.
Running the ball will be crucial in the postseason. Adding a player as talented as Jones would be well worth it for the Bills, even if they have to give up a second-round pick.
Moving on from a fan favorite wouldn’t be easy for the Packers, but it’s a move they should consider if they fall out of contention during the 2023 season.
A recent article by Robin Adams of Wisconsin Sports Heroics highlighted the idea that trading Aaron Jones is just simply “foolish and lazy”:
Was there a time this offseason when the Packers were considering moving on from Jones, the franchise’s third all-time leading rusher? Almost assuredly so! After the 2022 season ended, Jones had a cap hit higher than the Packers wanted to pay. Either they were going to trade him or release him.
But we all know what happened, don’t we? Jones took a massive pay cut for the single purpose of staying with the Packers. We can speculate all we want about what the future holds for him in Green Bay after the season, but Jones and the Packers are bonded for the 2023 season.
In addition to the pay cut, let us not forget that Jones flew out to California to work out with Jordan Love within days of the Aaron Rodgers trade being announced. A captain of the team, everyone looks up to Jones and follows his lead. If he is buying into the new starter and voices his belief in him, the rest of the team will too.
In a season where the Green Bay Packers are going to be leaning on their skill position players more than ever, trading away arguably your best one doesn’t make any sense. Jordan Love has shown incredible strides so far in the league, but has yet to prove himself on the field in a consistent way. Having Aaron Jones in his backfield for 2023 (and hopefully beyond) makes the most sense for this team to be successful.
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