Aaron Jones, Packers Agree to New Contract amid Aaron Rodgers Trade Rumors

As Aaron Rodgers embarks on his darkness retreat this weekend, the Green Bay Packers took care of one key piece of business by agreeing to a new contract with Aaron Jones.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Jones' deal will pay him $11 million in 2023 with an $8.52 million signing bonus. Jones' agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha, confirmed the deal to Schefter, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky.

All of the focus in Green Bay, understandably, has been on Rodgers as he continues to decide what he is going to do. On The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week, the four-time NFL MVP said the retreat will give him "a better sense of where I'm at in my life."

"I didn't say, 'I'm going to my darkness retreat just to figure out if I'm going to play next year or retire,'" he added.

If Rodgers wants to keep playing in 2023, he must also decide if it's going to be with the Packers or somewhere else. General manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters at his end-of-season press conference last month they would give him all the time he needs.

The Packers are $5.7 million over the cap for next season. Rodgers' contract is still hovering over everything, because he has a fully guaranteed $58.3 million option bonus that must be exercised between March 17 and Week 1 of the 2023 regular season.

If the Packers trade Rodgers, they would want the team that acquires him to pick it up so they don't have to pay it.

Regardless of what happens with Rodgers, reworking Jones' contract always seemed likely for the Packers. He was going to have the highest cap hit among all running backs at $20.02 million in 2023.

It's unclear at this point how much the Packers will save against the cap, but it does ensure Jones will remain their top running back for at least one more season.

Jones has been one of the NFL's most productive running backs since 2019. He ran for a career-high 1,121 yards in 2022 and has surpassed 1,100 yards from scrimmage in each of the past four seasons.

The 28-year-old led the Packers with 1,516 yards from scrimmage and tied for the team lead with seven total touchdowns this season.