The Green Bay Packers were fortunate that Aaron Jones agreed to take a pay cut in order to remain with the team in 2023. Had he not agreed to it, Green Bay likely would have cut him to save salary cap space. However, Green Bay is the only team that he wants to play for, even getting the G tattooed on his knee this offseason.
Other teams around the NFL, though, are in an opposite position. New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs were each franchise tagged by their respective teams. Neither are very happy about it and are refusing to report to training camp until they get new contracts.
The issue has drawn attention to the fact that running backs in the NFL are underpaid when compared to players at other positions. On Tuesday evening, Jones himself posted a Tweet that expresses his feelings regarding the matter.
Green Bay Packers Running Back Aaron Jones Thinks His Position Is One of the Most Valuable
Apc Packers Vs Vikings 2733 010123 Wag
Since Jones was willing to take a pay cut in order to stay with his team, one might have expected him to disagree with their decisions to hold out. However, that is not the case. In fact, Jones states that he believes running backs in general are undervalued:
Running Backs are one of the most valuable positions and no one can change my mind about that !
— Aaron Jones 3️⃣3️⃣ (@Showtyme_33) July 18, 2023
Many NFL quarterbacks, including former Wisconsin Badgers star Jonathan Taylor, have posted similar messages on social media stating that they feel running backs are not getting a fair shake.
The issue that organizations have with giving running backs big contracts is the fact that they have an average career length of just 2.57 years. This is less than the average career length of NFL players in general (3.3 years).
That being said, Jones is entering his seventh season, Jacobs his fifth, and Barkley his sixth. One would imagine that backs that have shown this kind of longevity would be paid accordingly. Unfortunately, that is not the way it is.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
