The Green Bay Packers are the only NFL team since 2011 not to franchise tag a potential unrestricted free agent, and they chose not to use it on Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones ahead of Tuesday's deadline, either – thus, he will hit free agency and is rated by CBS Sports' Pete Prisco as easily the top free-agent tailback on the market. SportsLine offers opening NFL odds on Jones' next team if it's not Green Bay. In theory, the team can still try to sign him before free agency starts but that's unlikely.
Last season, Jones rushed for a career-high 1,104 yards on a stellar 5.5 yards per carry (No. 5 in NFL) in 14 games. He also had nine rushing scores and caught 47 passes for 355 yards and two TDs in being named to his first Pro Bowl. The season before, including playoffs, Jones had a team-record 23 combined touchdowns.
Jones is one of only two players in league history to post 3,000-plus rushing yards and 35-plus rushing TDs with an average of 5.00-plus yards per carry in their first four seasons in the NFL, joining a guy named Jim Brown. Among running backs with 600-plus career carries, Jones ranks No. 5 in league history with an average of 5.17 yards per carry, and since 2019 he ranks third in the NFL in rushing TDs (25) and tied for No. 2 in total TDs (30).
Not bad for a guy who was the No. 182 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft from college football wasteland (at least these days) UTEP. Apparently, the Packers didn't want to pay Jones $8 million or so for 2021 on the tag and will likely go forward with AJ Dillon, their 2020 second-round pick.
NFL free agency officially opens March 17. The AFC East rival Miami Dolphins and New York Jets both have glaring needs at running back and both have a lot of salary-cap space.
Jones would clearly be an upgrade on Myles Gaskin/Salvon Ahmed for the Fins, and if they also could sign free-agent WR Kenny Golladay, who wasn't tagged by Detroit on Tuesday, they could be scary in 2021 it Tua Tagovailoa takes a step forward (or Deshaun Watson?). The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson already has reported mutual interest between Jones and the Dolphins.
The Jets aren't close to being good but have more cap space than any team, and they are not going into the 2021 season with La'Mical Perine as their No. 1 running back.
San Francisco has some good backs on the roster, like Raheem Mostert, but not really a great one and the ones the Niners have are injury-prone.
Arizona's Kenyan Drake is a free agent, and the Cardinals appear all-in for 2021 with the signing of JJ Watt. Adding Jones to Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald could make that offense electric.
Seattle didn't tag Chris Carson and could look into Jones as could Pittsburgh as a potential James Conner replacement – although the Steelers don't have a lot of money to spend cap-wise. Todd Gurley clearly wasn't the answer in 2020 for Atlanta, but the Falcons are in salary-cap hell.
The Los Angeles Chargers have a good running back in Austin Ekeler, but he's more of a receiving back. Jones/Ekeler would become arguably the best 1-2 punch in the NFL (Browns fans may argue that).
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Which team will sign Aaron Jones if not Green Bay?
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