In the post-Aaron Rodgers era of the Green Bay Packers, it was running back Aaron Jones who picked up the leadership mantle left behind by the Packers' all-time passing touchdowns leader.
"He's the total package right there. I love Aaron Jones," Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love said after Jones' record-setting performance of 118 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 21 carries in the team's 48-32 playoff win at the Dallas Cowboys in January. "He brings a huge spark to the team just the way he carries himself, the way he handles his business and shows up ready to work every day. I can't say enough about him."
"He's just our fire starter, and we keep the flame going," Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks said that of Jones that day.
Now, the Packers have to attempt to put Jones' flame out at Lambeau Field on Sunday as he returns to Green Bay with the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings. Jones, the No. 3 rusher in Packers history (5,940 rushing yards), departed Green Bay following the team asking him to take a pay cut for the second season in a row after signing Raiders Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million contract this offseason, the same deal they signed him to in the 2021 offseason.
Head coach Matt LaFleur cracked a joke about facing Jones before talking about how much the running back means to him this week.
"Who? Who's that? I'm just kidding" LaFleur said Tuesday. "Yeah, he is a problem. He is. He looks really good. I've been able to watch him a little bit. Certainly he is one of my favorite players that I've ever had to coach, a guy like that. Just in terms of how he goes about his business. Still got a lot of love for him. Just won't have a lot of love for him when we're playing against him."
Growing into carrying the G
Jones didn't begin his Packers tenure as "the man" in Green Bay's backfield. He actually became a Packer as a fifth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft at the same time as two other running backs: fourth-round pick Jamaal Williams out of BYU and seventh-round pick Devante Mays out of Utah State.
His first training camp was when Jones found out he had fans in the organization. Green Bay No. 1 wide receiver Davante Adams was the first to convey that sentiment to the then-rookie running back.
"[Adams] comes over to me on the sideline, I don't even know why, and he says, 'I got you as my dog in this race,'" Jones wrote in The Players Tribune on Wednesday. "I can't even tell you what that did for me, honestly. It was like, 'OK, Davante Adams believes in me?' It meant a lot.
Jones' first real opportunity came in a Week 4 home matchup against the Chicago Bears after two running backs suffered injuries, and jogging into the Packers huddle for the first real snaps of his NFL career, he found out he already had the stamp of approval from the face of the franchise in Rodgers.
"A-Rod, he just looks at me and he says, 'Hey. I am one of your biggest fans in this entire organization. It's your time. Yours, right now,'" Jones wrote.
Jones scored a two-yard rushing touchdown in a 35-14 win over Green Bay's archnemesis. However, his opportunity vanished when the rest of the running back room got healthy: Jones was inactive in consecutive weeks from Weeks 11-12, both losses against the Ravens and Steelers. Shortly after that, Rodgers demanded Jones receive playing time.
"In my head I'm thinking, I had a nice moment. Maybe it's over," Jones wrote. "But then I'll never forget there was this one drive, later in the season and out of nowhere, A-Rod calls timeout, turns to the sideline and yells: 'I WANT 33 IN THE GAME!!! I WANT 33 IN THE GAME!!! 33!!! NOW!!!' I'm standing there, I'm looking down at my jersey, and suddenly I'm like, 'Oh wait. I'm 33. That's ME.' I don't even remember what the play was, or what happened on it, but I just know how good that felt. It was this reminder that I was there for a reason, you know what I mean? One of the best QBs who's ever lived is actually seeing something in me."
After his rookie season, Jones made a mistake: he had to enter a no-contest plea for driving with marijuana in his body, which led to a two-game suspension to start the 2018 season. The Packers didn't give up on him.
"I was so embarrassed after it happened," Jones wrote. "They say you represent the G at all times, and I hadn't held up my part of that. I felt like I'd let everyone down who gave me a chance as a fifth-round pick, and for a guy like me who wasn't established yet, a lot of teams might've said, 'Let's just cut him.' It definitely could have gone either way, but the Packers had my back. Their mentality was, 'This mistake isn't you. It's only you if you don't learn from it.' They made sure I walked around our building with my head held high, even when I was feeling really low."
He learned, and when the Packers hired LaFleur to be the new head coach in 2019, the league discovered how successful Jones could be as a featured running back. He co-led the NFL, along with Derrick Henry, in rushing touchdowns (16) and co-led the league in scrimmage touchdowns (19) alongside Christian McCaffrey. LaFleur unlocked Jones' potential.
Aaron Jones With Matt LaFleur (2019-2023)
| NFL RB Rank | ||
|---|---|---|
Rush yards | 4,764 | 6th |
Yards/carry | 4.9 | 7th |
Scrimmage yards | 6,612 | 7th |
Yards/touch | 5.5 | 4th* |
Scrimmage TD | 50 | 5th |
* Among 65 running backs with 400-plus touches in span
Jones' bond with LaFleur and the Packers organization extended well beyond the football field. When Jones' father died from COVID-19 complications, LaFleur, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and running backs coach Ben Sirmans all traveled to his hometown of El Paso, Texas, for Jones' father's funeral.
"To say they didn't have to do that is an understatement, and I know I could never repay them on a football field," Jones wrote. "So I'll just say, "'Thank you.'"
Jones wrapped up his letter to the Packers nation by letting them know they'll always be in his heart, even though he followed in the footsteps of fellow Green Bay legends like Hall of Famer Brett Favre and Pro Bowl wide receiver Greg Jennings in joining the Vikings.
"That's the biggest thing I want to write here, not just to the Packers organization but really to all of Green Bay. Thank you. It's going to feel strange being on that visiting sideline for the first time, and being on the other side of this NFC North thing in general, but it's ALL love, and it's so much gratitude. Thanks for 'betting' on me, riding with me, hashtagging for me, and everything else. Thanks for SEEING me. No G on the helmet Sunday, always one in my heart."