Aaron Jones on Signing $11M Packers Contract: 'I Didn't Want to Be Greedy'

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Jones wasn't too disheartened about taking a pay cut as part of his contract restructure with the team this offseason.

Jones agreed to lower his salary from $16 million to $11 million for the 2023 NFL season. He explained Tuesday to Cody Krupp of Fox 11 News in Green Bay that he "didn't want to be greedy."

To be fair, there may have been a level of self-preservation at play as well.

Sizing up how the Packers roster might look this offseason, The Athletic's Matt Schneidman in December put Jones in the "probably back" category while noting the team could save around $10.5 million by cutting him. Especially with the franchise likely to move on from Aaron Rodgers, a running back with a salary cap hit north of $20 million is a luxury rather than a necessity.

But the Packers and Jones reached an agreement that made everyone happy. He still gets to cash a nice check, and Green Bay retained a player who has run for 1,000 yards in three of the past four years.

Maintaining some continuity in the backfield was important with Jordan Love all but certain to enter the season as the starting quarterback. The ground game figures to be an important part of the offense once Rodgers is officially gone.