The Green Bay Packers ushered in a new era of offense in 2023, and one of the primary holdovers through the transition now also appears on his way out.
Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last week that Green Bay will part ways with running back A.J. Dillon after he officially hits free agency on March 13.
“The Packers aren’t likely to re-sign free agent A.J. Dillon and so 2023 undrafted free agent Emanuel Wilson may be the only option to handle a bulk load,” Silverstein wrote on March 1. “With at least 11 selections (including an estimated three compensatory picks), it’s likely the Packers will address the position somewhere in the draft.”
Down Season in 2023 Likely Cost A.J. Dillon Future With the Packers
GettyGreen Bay Packers running back A.J. Dillon.
Dillon — a former second-round pick out of Boston College in 2020 — produced the worst season of his four-year NFL career in 2023, save for his rookie campaign.
A quality season might have earned Dillon a new contract as the Packers’ primary rusher of the football, but he instead recorded 613 rushing yards on 3.4 yards per carry and just 2 TDs — all of which were his lowest totals since the 2020 season.
The running back amassed 1,573 rushing yards and 12 TDs on the ground (14 TDs overall) in the two previous seasons combined — averaging 4.3 yards and 4.1 yards per attempt in those campaigns, respectively.
Dillon played out the string on his four-year rookie deal worth $5.2 million in total last season. Spotrac projects his market value at just $3.5 million on a new one-year contract, so the fact that Green Bay is uninterested in bringing him back despite four years of service — much of it quality — is telling as to how the franchise views Dillon’s trajectory.
On top of that, a running back selected in the later rounds will cost the franchise over four years roughly the same amount that Dillon will command in 2024 alone.
Packers Looking to Restructure Aaron Jones’ Contract for Second Consecutive Offseason
GettyGreen Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones.
If the Packers address the offensive backfield in the upcoming draft, they will likely do so in the later rounds — somewhere late on Day 2 or into Day 3.
As such, trying to predict who will be available and which prospects might catch the collective eye of the front office is something of an exercise in futility. One situation that does garner projection, however, is that of starting running back Aaron Jones.
Green Bay reduced Jones’ salary by $5 million in 2023 after convincing him to agree to a new arrangement. Jones carries a a cap hit of nearly $17.6 million on the final year of his $48 million contract in 2024, which means the Packers are likely to try and reduce his hit again if they intend to keep him.
Silverstein laid out the situation in his March 1 report.
Green Bay Packers officials have met with running back Aaron Jones’ agent at the NFL scouting combine in hopes of reaching agreement on a salary cap cut. … The bottom line is they want him back.
If the two can’t reach agreement in the next two weeks, the Packers could release him and then hope whatever they are offering isn’t matched on the open market. But they would risk losing him to another team.
The Packers probably want to cut his cap number given Jones missed six games and was limited in several others due to hamstring and knee injuries.
Still, when Jones was healthy, he was very good for Green Bay. The running back topped 100 yards rushing in the team’s final five games of the campaign, including its two playoff contests.
Jones won’t turn 30 until late next season and is a well-respected leader in the Packers locker room. As such, losing him would be a blow to a young offense that is clearly on the rise under the leadership of quarterback Jordan Love.
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