Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was thrown for a loop when general manager Brian Gutekunst made a tough decision for the backfield this offseason. Gutekunst upgraded at running back when he signed former Las Vegas Raiders star Josh Jacobs in free agency. But the addition of Jacobs meant they needed to pinch pennies elsewhere.
The Green Bay Packers cut Aaron Jones in March
Gutekunst cut Aaron Jones in March after the veteran running back refused to agree to a pay cut this offseason. Jones would go on to sign with the Minnesota Vikings in March. After the release from the Packers was finalized, Gutekunst wrote Jones a thank-you note and said cutting Jones was one of the hardest moves he’s had to make as a general manager.
The move won’t be easy on the head coach, either.
Matt LaFleur was caught off guard by Jones’ release
According to Jason Wilde with the Wisconsin State Journal, LaFleur said he was surprised by the decline to release Jones:
“It kind of caught me off guard, to be honest with you,” LaFleur confessed during the NFC coaches breakfast Tuesday morning at the annual NFL Meetings at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes resort in Orlando, Fla.
“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.”
LaFleur wasn’t part of the decision to cut Jones. He evidently doesn’t have much input into the Packers’ roster decisions. Gutekunst’s staff makes those moves.
LaFleur is excited to work with Josh Jacobs
LaFleur is ready to work with Jones’ replacement:
“It happened really fast, so I don’t know all the details of that,” LaFleur said. “I’m not involved in those types of conversations. But we were super excited (to get Jacobs).”
The Packers’ offense will be expected to be dynamic next season. They return a 4,000-yard passing quarterback, Jordan Love, with several talented young receivers. The passing game was already challenging to defend in 2023 without having to worry about Jacobs touching the ball in the running game.
LaFleur did receive one piece of stability in the backfield this offseason. The team was able to re-sign AJ Dillon after letting him test the market in free agency last month.
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1 Comment
Don’t really understand the cut. They had cap room and it would have made for one of the most exciting backfields in many years. I’m not a Gute fan, not always about his moves but how he treats his players, especially the veterans.