Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said he wants and anticipates running back Aaron Jones — one of the top offensive players in team history — returning to Green Bay for another season in 2024.
“Yeah, absolutely, we’d love to have Aaron back. We’re still putting all those things together as we move forward, but he was such a difference maker when he was out there this year,” Gutekunst said Thursday.
Jones, who produced 1,136 total yards over 13 regular and postseason games, is entering the final year of his contract in 2024.
The 2023 season was a bit of a rollercoaster for the veteran running back. Jones gained 127 total yards and scored twice in a win over the Chicago Bears in Week 1, missed most of the next four games with a hamstring injury and eventually missed three more games with a sprained knee. When he returned in December, Jones was a dominant force, ripping off five straight 100-yard rushing games — setting a new franchise record — and powering an explosive offense into the postseason.
Gutekunst said Jones is important both on and off the field in Green Bay.
“He changed a lot of the way we operated when he was in there and healthy,” Gutekunst said. “For us, it’s finding a way to keep him out there and keeping him healthy. He’s such an influential leader in our locker room. The heartbeat of our team.”
Over the final five games, Jones rushed for 584 yards, produced 653 total yards and scored three touchdowns.
Jones turns 30 in December. His salary cap hit also balloons to $17.5 million in 2024, the final year of his current deal. It’s possible the Packers and Jones will work together to lower his cap number and provide some long-term stability.
“It’s our anticipation that he’ll be back,” Gutekunst said.
Jones, a fifth-round pick of the Packers in 2017, ranks third in team history in rushing yards (5,940), fourth in rushing touchdowns (45), seventh in total touchdowns (63) and eighth in yards from scrimmage (8,016).
