Packers RB Aaron Jones gets chance to erase nightmare end to 2020
Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones has unfinished business. The first item on the list? Erasing the nightmare end to his 2020 season.
On Friday, Jones admitted he wasn’t sure if January’s NFC Championship Game would be his final game with the Packers. His last play in that game – a 31-26 loss – was a game-changing fumble early in the second half.
His new four-year deal with the Packers – announced officially on Friday – provides a chance for Jones to rewrite his ending.
“Walking off the field the last game with my head down and not the way I wanted it to end and going through my mind, I’m like, ‘Man is this way my career’s going to end in Green Bay and in Lambeau?'” Jones said Friday, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “I definitely didn’t want to finish my career like that here, and I’m just blessed to be able to come back and suit back up here.”
Jones carried six times for just 27 yards in the title game loss to the Bucs. He left the game in the third quarter and didn’t return after getting popped by Jordan Whitehead on the third play of the second half. The hit caused a turnover and gave Jones a game-ending chest injury.
The Buccaneers converted the fumble into a quick touchdown and a 28-10 lead, and the Packers were never able to crawl all the way back into the game, ending a magical 2020 season on the doorstep of the Super Bowl.
Had he signed elsewhere, the fumble and injury would have created the worst possible ending to an otherwise impressive run in Green Bay for Jones, a fifth-round pick in 2017 who has ascended into a true star at his position over his first four NFL seasons.
Instead, Jones is back with the Packers and ready to build on what he’s already accomplished.
In 2020, he was a first-time Pro Bowler. Over the last two years, Jones is one of only three NFL players with over 3,000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns. According to the team, he’s the first Packer since Jim Taylor to produce at least 2,000 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns over a two-year span.
A vital part of Green Bay’s No. 1 ranked scoring offense in 2020, Jones is happy to be back and excited to help the Packers get over the final hurdle.
“Like I said, I feel like this is a perfect fit for me,” Jones said. “I’ve been in this offense. I know what comes with it. I know my teammates here, and we feel like we have unfinished business, so I just feel like it was the right fit for me.”
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