Clock ticking on Aaron Jones
The Packers decide against putting the franchise tag on star running back.
GREEN BAY - The Green Bay Packers have a week to sign running back Aaron Jones before he hits the freeagent market and they will not have the franchise or transition tag as a safety net if he does.
The Packers let the 3 p.m. CT deadline pass without using a tag to either force interested teams to compensate them with two first-round picks or to guarantee the right to match any offer Jones receives.
However, putting the franchise tag on Jones would have put the Packers in a very tough spot, since it would have guaranteed Jones a one-year deal worth somewhere around $8 million to $9 million. The Packers would have had to add that to their 2021 salary cap, which at this point is not in good shape.
The Packers are $12.2 million over the salary cap and bumping that number over $20 million would have made their work in trimming cap numbers even more onerous.
They are already expected to renegotiate the contract of quarterback
Aaron Rodgers and probably several others to get under the minimum cap of $180 million.
Jones would have had all the leverage if tagged because he would have known the Packers needed to trim their salary cap and would be desperate to sign him to a long-term deal that would have slashed his cap number dramatically.
But Jones could have held out for a huge payday with the knowledge the Packers needed to make a deal before March 17.
Just because the Packers didn’t use one of the tags – the prices of which have not been finalized – doesn’t mean they are out of the running for Jones, who becomes an unrestricted free agent March 17. They have exclusive bargaining rights with him until March 15 when the “legal tampering” period begins and are the only team who can sign him before the 17th.
The Packers and Jones’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have been through this before.
Seven years ago, the Packers chose not to place a transition or franchise tag on cornerback Sam Shields. But three days before free agency began, Shields, another Rosenhaus client, signed a four-year, $39 million deal with the Packers. In this case, it’s likely the Packers aren’t willing to meet Jones’ price and either will keep negotiating with him or will let him test the market and see if he can earn what Rosenhaus is telling him he can get from another team. The Packers would be able to continue negotiating against the field for Jones’ services once free agency starts.
The Packers have re-signed a number of players at the free-agent midnight hour over the years. They agreed to a long-term deal with receiver Randall Cobb two days before free agency began in 2015 and with outside linebacker Nick Perry one day before free agency in 2017.
The Packers have also re-signed free agents in the past shortly after free agency began.
In ’15, the Packers did not have an agreement with tackle Bryan Bulaga when free agency began, although the two sides were having talks and getting closer to a deal. They completed a deal a day after free agency began.
In Jones’ case, the Packers have a backup plan if the demand stays higher than they’re willing to pay.
They drafted running back A.J. Dillon in the second round last year and got a glimpse of his great potential late in the season.
Jones’ future may depend on how Jones and Rosenhaus view the freeagent market. Teams don’t invest in free-agent running backs much anymore and a number of backs who overestimated their market and didn’t sign long-term deals after being franchised came to regret it.
So, the Packers and Rosenhaus may be playing a game of chicken, waiting for one or the other to blink. The Packers are a much better team with Jones in the lineup, but they do have Dillon, which gives them some leverage.
Jones is probably eyeing a long-term deal in the $12 million to $15 million a year range, which is what free-agentsto-be Alvin Kamara of New Orleans ($15 million) and Dalvin Cook of Minnesota ($12.6 million) received in extensions signed during the season. All three were drafted in 2017 and heading for free agency in ’21, but Jones did not get the deal he was anticipating.
Jones has had back-to-back 1,000yard rushing seasons and has 96 catches during that span. He has scored 30 touchdowns in those two seasons and ranks fourth among all backs with 39 touchdowns over the past three seasons.
The Packers also had the option of placing a tag on center Corey Linsley, but they know they won’t be able to reach agreement with him on a longterm deal without breaking the bank, which means they would have to absorb the huge franchise tag number without hope of being able to reduce it.
The Packers were able to shed $765,000 of salary-cap room when receiver Devin Funchess agreed to a pay cut, which was first reported by NFL.com.
According to a source, Funchess received $300,000 of the $1 million signing bonus he was supposed to receive last year before he opted out of the season because of COVID-19. Along with a few other minor adjustments, Funchess’ salary-cap number dropped from $2.265 million to $1.5 million.
He still has $3.75 million in incentives he can make this season, but they do not count against the cap.