Packers QB Not Fond of Vikings Move
Can’t please ’em all.
Packers QB Not Fond of Vikings Move
The Minnesota Vikings signed former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones in March, and the veteran runner is on deck to hold down RB1 duties in the Twin Cities this season. Jones’ contract talks broke off with Green Bay right before free agency, and the Packers signed Josh Jacobs soon after. So, Jones crossed state lines and joined his rival, a tendency popular among former Packers.
And according to Jones’ ex-teammate Jordan Love, the Packers’ quarterback, Jones will be missed. In fact, Love didn’t sound too thrilled this week about Jones’ exodus. “Yeah, it was very tough. Aaron Jones is such a special player. Special guy in this locker room since I’ve been here. Everyone loved Aaron, and it was very tough. It was one of those things that you can’t control,” Love told reporters at organized team activities (OTAs) on Tuesday.
Many believed the Vikings would roll with Ty Chandler at RB1 or draft a rookie like Trey Benson, for example, but Minnesota’s front office put its foot down to fix the ground game once and for all with the Jones addition.
Love added about his new weapon, Josh Jacobs: “Obviously, getting Josh here has been awesome. Excited to see him on the field. He’s an awesome player. He’s been an awesome teammate so far. It’s been good getting to know him, and I’m excited to see what he can do this year.”
Minnesota saved $3.5 million by releasing Alexander Mattison in March, flipping that cash into Jones for a one-year experiment. Jones has played against Minnesota 11 times in his career, and now, with any luck, he’ll suit up for 17 games with his former foe, including two games versus the Packers. He’s tallied 847 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns as a Packer against the Vikings since joining the NFL in 2017 as a 5th-Round Pick.
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
Earlier this offseason, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, too, expressed dismay over Jones’ departure. “It kind of caught me off guard, to be honest with you. There were some other things in play, obviously with Aaron Jones, and I didn’t quite know how everything was going to go. It just happened really fast on that Monday,” the Packers skipper told the Wisconsin State Journal in March.
Minnesota has finished 27th per rushing DVOA in back-to-back seasons since Kevin O’Connell took over as head coach two years ago. The franchise desperately needs to fix its ground game or risk never fully unlocking the offense. It will hope Jones is the elixir.
Per his former teammate and head coach, it seems like he has a reasonable chance of doing precisely that. The man will be missed in Wisconsin.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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