Where Will Aaron Jones Play Next Season?
A look at the top suitors for Packer running back Aaron Jones.
Possibly the biggest play maker that is going to hit the free agency market this off season is Aaron Jones. He has proven in the past two seasons that he is a threat out of the backfield in the ground and air game. Jones is the type of player that may not run you over but, he will run past you and break your ankles.
Many team will target Jones this offseason, the only concern is that giving a lot of money to a running back historically doesn’t work out well. With that being said, here are three possible landing spots for the Pro Bowl back.
The first suitor for Jones is the Miami Dolphins. The Fins have about 32 million dollars in cap space and could give Jones a contract that pays him around 11-13 million dollars a season. He would fit great alongside Tua Tagovailoa in the backfield and would be the first “star” back in Miami since the days of Ricky Williams and Reggie Bush.
His ability out of the backfield to catch passes will give Tua another option to hit on check down routes and his athletic ability will give Miami the opportunity to run the ball on all three downs. My only qualm about Jones in Miami is that they don’t have a great offensive line. If they do sign Jones, they will need to target Penei Sewell at number three.
Another franchise Jones could sign with is also in the AFC East, that is the New York Jets. The Jets are another squad with an abundance of cap space and they didn’t have a dominant presence in the backfield last season. Their starting running back was Frank Gore who is almost old enough to have an AARP card so signing Jones should be a priority.
What I like about the Jets is that they have the tools to be a good team. A young offensive line anchored by Mekhi Becton and two first round selections. If they take Zach Wilson at two and then add more offensive line help at twenty three like Sam Cosmi or Liam Eichenberg then they can be in position to push for the playoffs in the next few seasons.
The last city I could see Jones running the ball in is Los Angeles with the Chargers. Like Miami, they have about 32 million dollars in cap and could offer a similar contract to Jones. The only reason I could see him picking L.A over Miami is that the Chargers have the better of the two quarterbacks.
He’d fit in the same way as Austin Ekeler, but better. They both have similar play styles in the way they are receiving threats and shifty runners. If the Chargers get rid of Ekeler, sign Jones and keep Kelley, they could have a nasty 1-2 punch in the backfield.
Wherever Jones ends up, it is always a risk to throw money at a running back so, Jones could be a huge hit or miss player this offseason.