It was a great day for the Green Bay Packers, but as is the way of the NFL it comes with a price. Both financially and emotionally. The Packers agreed to terms with running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney, but in turn lost running back Aaron Jones. The Packers are back to going all in to win a Super Bowl after a rebuilding year that ended in the divisional round of the playoffs.
It will be hard to see Jones in another uniform. I was at the game he hurt his knee in last year and my seats are right next to the tunnel. When they carted him off I thought that was the last time I’d see him play for the Packers. For him to come back and do what he did down the stretch and in the playoffs was remarkable. I thought maybe he earned his 2024 salary in that stretch. I guess the Packers did not agree with me. He’ll always be a Packer to me.
Whole new backfield
With Jacobs the Packers go younger and pivot to a three down running back instead of running back by committee as was the case with Jones and AJ Dillon. It’s a solid contract for the Packers as well. It’s essentially a one-year deal for $14.8 million and three years that the Packers can release him anytime without much, if any salary cap hit. A no brainer, really.
Jacobs should fit in nicely in the Packers’ offense. They won’t have to try force a square peg in a round hole like they were doing with Dillon to protect Jones. And his age fit right in with the Packers’ youth movement on offense. The elder statesmen is now guard Elgton Jenkins at 28. If all goes well the Packers will once again be yearly contenders for the Super Bowl. Maybe talent over experience will get them over the hump.
Defense gets a boost
By signing McKinney the Packers gave new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley the centerpiece to his defense. McKinney can play anywhere on the back end and gives the Packers the long lost safety they have seeking for years. He was the most sought after safety left on the market and the Packers paid handsomely for him. There is still work to be done in the secondary and at linebacker, but the excitement on defense is real ever since Hafley was named hired.
We’ll see what happens from here, but the Packers are back among the elite just like that.