NFL: The Green Bay Packers will have a lot of questions answered during the 2023 season. Most notably, howe the offense performs with Jordan Love at the helm. For the first time in 31 years the Green Bay Packers won’t have Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers under center come week one of the season. One aspect that could really help Jordan Love in his first year starting? An effective run game. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon have formed one of the best running back duos in the NFL. How long can that duo last though?
Green Bay Packers Face Dilemma With AJ Dillon Contract
Scott Rogust highlighted the AJ Dillon – Green Bay Packers situation that is bound to unfold in the next few years:
The Green Bay Packers are already waiting to see if Jordan Love is their quarterback of the future after trading away four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets this past offseason. While the team will try to remain a contender in the NFC North this season, they will have to address the running back position entering the 2024 league year. Why’s that? A.J. Dillon is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Dillon was selected late in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Boston College. He would serve as a bruiser out of the backfield behind Aaron Jones, who was the fast and dual-threat option. With quads that were comparable to Barkley, Dillon put up some solid numbers, especially in the past two seasons.
In 2021, Dillon ran for 803 yards and five touchdowns on 187 carries, giving him an average of 4.3 yards per carry. Then, this past season, Dillon finished with 770 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 186 attempts. Dillon played in every single regular-season game the past two years.
Since Dillon was a second-round selection, he doesn’t have a fifth-year option attached to his rookie deal. So, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent after this season. Could the Packers choose to tag him? While you could point out that the Packers have Jones under contract past this season, yes, that’s true. But, Jones becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season.
Could the Packers tag Dillon and then enter contract negotiations that don’t result in a deal done by the deadline? Who knows. But, the Packers are in an interesting position when it comes to their running back depth chart very soon.
How Likely Is It That The Green Bay Packers Tag AJ Dillon? (NFL)
As mentioned above, the Green Bay Packers have Aaron Jones under contract through the 2024 season. If 2023 proves to be extremely successful (again) with these two leading the charge, they may want to make a move to keep the duo together at least one more year.
A franchise tag would secure Dillon through the 2024 season as well. However, the Green Bay Packers very rarely use the franchise tag. In fact, since the franchise tag was introduced in 1993, the Packers have only used it five times. Could an elite running back duo be enough for them to use it a sixth time?
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1 Comment
Noone is franchising a backup running back. Dillon is good but that’s it. Move on.