GREEN BAY, Wis. – For years, the Green Bay Packers raved about their running back duo of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. If Jones was the No. 1 back, then Dillon was 1-A and someone perfectly capable of carrying the load.
However, following the prolonged injury absences of Jones, Dillon failed to carry the load. It wasn’t until Jones returned for the stretch run that the running game finally got going and the offense reached peak efficiency.
That reality is reflected in Part 2 of our season-ending grades, which are based on a player’s impact relative to the salary cap.
Aaron Jones
2023 cap: $8,197,000. Position rank: 8th, according to OverTheCap.com .
Jones is different. In a sport in which salary equals status, Jones agreed to take a pay cut in 2023. It wasn’t the shifting around of money that is so commonplace. Rather, he simply took less money to remain with the Packers.
Talk about cementing your legendary status.
Most of the season was forgettable, though. In fact, with his 29th birthday approaching, it was fair to wonder if this would be it for Jones. In Week 1, Jones piled up 127 total yards in less than three quarters before injuring a hamstring at Chicago. From Game 2 at Atlanta through Game 7 against Minnesota, Jones had 117 total yards in three games and was inactive for three others.