According to Adam Schefter, the Packers have elected not to place the franchise tag on RB Aaron Jones.
The tag number for running backs this year was expected to be somewhere in the range of $8 million, so there was some thought Green Bay would take the opportunity to tag Jones cheaply.
However, it appears he’ll have a chance at signing a big deal in unrestricted free agency, though Schefter says the Packers still hope to re-sign him before then.
Running backs often have a tough time of it on the open market but Jones was expected to do well, with mutual interest reported between him and the Dolphins.
Jones, 26, is a former fifth-round pick of the Packers out of UTEP back in 2017. He is in the final year of his four-year, $2.6 million rookie contract, which included a $201,948 signing bonus.
Jones earned a pay raise to $2.147 million by playing more than 35 percent of the total offensive snaps over three years, as part of the league’s proven performance escalators.
In 2020, Jones has appeared in 10 games for the Packers and rushed for 754 yards on 145 carries (5.2 YPC) to go along with 36 receptions for 279 yards and nine touchdowns.
We have him included in our Top 100 – 2021 Free Agents list.
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