Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones had arguably the best season of his career in 2022. He rushed for a career-high 1,121 yards with two rushing touchdowns, adding 59 receptions for 395 yards and five more scores.
Aaron Jones was the only consistent producer on what was an inconsistent Packers offense throughout the 2022 season. The passing game was a mess without Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the lineup, putting a lot of pressure on the backfield.
More often than not, the combination of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon was able to get the job done. However, Green Bay’s offense could look drastically different in 2023 than it did in 2022.
Rumors have been swirling about the future of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who could be on the move this offseason. He isn’t the only player that could be on the move as the cash-strapped Packers could also look to trade someone such as Aaron Jones.
Set to be $14.5 million over the cap in 2023, the Packers could save $10.4 million by trading Aaron Jones. He has a base salary of $8.1 million, which could be a lot for teams to stomach. Restructuring his deal could also be required for a trade to get done, with one team that could show some interest being the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills have struggled at times to establish the run in recent seasons. Devin Singletary, who has been their lead back, is also going to be a free agent in 2023. That leaves a sizable void in their lineup with James Cook being the only running back guaranteed to be back in 2023. Nyheim Hines is under contract, but given their own money issues, he is a cut candidate.
What could it take to land Aaron Jones? The Bills can offer a third-round pick and one of the two fifth-rounders they have at their disposal in the 2023 NFL Draft. Buffalo was one of the teams that checked in on Christian McCaffrey’s availability before he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, so they seem willing to pay a high price to upgrade their running back depth chart.
Aaron Jones would be a nice upgrade for the team, pairing with Cook for the foreseeable future. He is a reliable dual-threat that should help take some pressure off of Josh Allen as a player that Sean McDermott and the coaching staff can trust in crunch time to get the job done.
