Why Packers RB Aaron Jones is one of Matt LaFleur’s ‘favorites’
Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur called Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones one of his favorite all-time players.
“I can’t say enough great things about him,” LaFleur said Wednesday. “Just the man he is. The player he is. The son he is. The father he is. He’s definitely, I’ll throw it out there, one of my favorites.”
Jones, a 2017 fifth-round pick, returned to Green Bay on a restructured deal this offseason. He’ll enter his seventh season with the Packers in 2023.
The numbers show why his coach loves him so much as a player.
Since LaFleur took over in 2019, Jones has produced 4,108 rushing yards, 47 total touchdowns and 5,723 total yards. He ranks sixth in rushing yards, fourth in total touchdowns, sixth in total yards and ninth in total touches among all NFL players over the last four seasons. He was also a Pro Bowler in 2020 and has created at least 1,000 total yards in all four seasons since 2019.
The 28-year-old has also been the Packers’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee each of the last two seasons.
“What’s even more impressive is how he handles himself on a daily basis,” LaFleur said. “He’s such a great model for what you want your team to be about. He backs up anything he says with what he does. His actions are very, very powerful. He’s a great role model for all these younger players of what it truly means to be a pro. And just his approach and how he embraces all our players and tries to help them along the way.”
LaFleur echoed the sentiment of team president and CEO Mark Murphy, who called Jones an “amazing young man” and a “tremendous role model” after the Packers named Jones the team’s nominee for NFL Man of the Year in 2022.
The football side is a continuation of his excellence off the field. Jones is a slashing runner with incredible contact balance and creativity and the ability to catch the football from multiple alignments and do anything required in the LaFleur scheme. Now that Jordan Love is the starting quarterback, Jones could become the focal point of the entire Packers offense in 2023.
“He’s a pretty good player,” LaFleur said. “It is our job to get our best players the ball. I think Aaron has definitely proven himself over his career in the NFL that he can handle a lot of things, not only in the running game but the pass game as well. He does a great job in pass protection, route running, and has shown the ability to be a big-time playmaker.”
Jones ranks third in Packers history in career rushing yards. He’s currently one of only four players in team history to go over 5,000 rushing yards. Jones also ranks ninth among Packers players in total yards from scrimmage in a career, and he’s only 1,149 total yards away from passing Hall of Famer Don Hutson for fifth place all-time.
