NFL

Packers running back Jones ready for 'crazy' 2023 after restructuring contract

By Sports Desk February 17, 2023

Aaron Jones will remain with the Green Bay Packers after agreeing a restructured contract with the team.

Jones was due to earn $16million in 2023 but has reportedly agreed to reduce that number by $5m.

In return, Jones will receive $8.52m of his $11m as a signing bonus.

Posting on Twitter, the running back wrote: "Year 7 is gonna [sic] be crazy in Lambeau [Field]. Honoured to carry the G and blessed to be back."

Last season, Jones rushed for 1,121 yards, marking his third 1,000-yard campaign in the last four years. However, he scored just two rushing touchdowns. As a receiver, he recorded 395 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Jones is third on the Packers' all-time list for rushing yards having amassed 5,284 during his five seasons in the NFL. His 43 rushing touchdowns rank fourth.

In 2022, he performed above average in yards before contact per attempt (3.06), yards after contact per rush (2.33) and yards per carry on rushes where there was a disruption by a defender (3.5).

But his efforts were not enough to earn the Packers a playoff berth as they finished 8-9, missing the postseason courtesy of a Week 18 defeat to the Detroit Lions.

Related items

  • Panthers quarterback Young unlikely to play against Seahawks due to injured ankle Panthers quarterback Young unlikely to play against Seahawks due to injured ankle

    Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is dealing with an ankle injury and is unlikely to play in Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

    Young missed his second straight day of practice Thursday, and the winless Panthers released a statement on social media saying he isn't expected to play.

    The top pick of this year's draft evidently injured his ankle during Carolina's 20-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, but coach Frank Reich wasn't sure when. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown said the injury occurred in the first half, but Young never came out and didn't tell anyone until after the game.

    With Young expected to sit, Andy Dalton will make his first start with the Panthers after starting 14 games for the Saints last season.

     

    Young has started each of Carolina's first two losses and is experiencing the growing pains that come with being a rookie quarterback.

    He ranks 31st in QB rating (66.6) while throwing for 299 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He's completing 59.2 per cent of his passes and his average of 4.21 yards per attempt is the worst in the NFL among starting quarterbacks.

    Without a viable passing game, the Panthers are 28th in total offence and are tied for last in scoring.

    Dalton, a 13-year-veteran, is 83-77-2 as a starter with 244 TD passes and 144 interceptions. Carolina will be the fifth franchise he starts a game for following one-year stints with Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans from 2020-22 after spending his first nine pro seasons with Cincinnati.

  • Dallas Cowboys CB Diggs reportedly tears ACL Dallas Cowboys CB Diggs reportedly tears ACL

    Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs will reportedly miss the rest of the 2023 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Thursday's practice. 

    NFL.com reports that an MRI confirmed the extent of the injury, which Diggs sustained during a one-on-one drill. The fourth-year standout was later spotted on crutches at the Cowboys' training facility, according to the Dallas Morning News.

    Diggs' absence is a major blow to a Dallas team that's outscored the opposition by a 70-10 margin in winning its first two games. The 25-year-old's 18 interceptions since entering the NFL in 2020 are tied for the most by any player over that span. 

    A second-round pick by Dallas in 2020, Diggs earned first team All-Pro honours in 2021 by recording a league-leading 11 interceptions, the most by any player in a single season since the Cowboys' Everson Walls also had 11 in 1981.

    Diggs was off to another strong start in 2023, as he allowed just two completions on nine pass attempts thrown his way for a total of 26 yards to go along with one interception.

    "Saw that I guess a couple of you saw (Diggs injured) out there on the field," Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott told reporters following Thursday's practice. "Prayers, hoping for the best, simple as that.”

    Diggs had just signed a five-year, $97 million extension in training camp that will keep him under contract through the 2028 season. 

    The Cowboys do have depth at cornerback after acquiring 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts in March to form a trio with Diggs and DaRon Bland, the team's leader with five interceptions in 2022.

    Dallas could move Bland from the slot into Diggs' outside position with Jourdan Lewis taking over the nickel role. Lewis started 30 games over the previous three seasons, but has been eased into action in 2023 due to a foot injury that limited him to just six games last season. 

     

     

  • Vikings acquire running back Akers from Rams Vikings acquire running back Akers from Rams

    The Los Angeles Rams have found a taker for Cam Akers, trading the running back to the Minnesota Vikings.

    The deal was completed on Wednesday, with the teams swapping draft picks in 2026.

    Akers was a healthy scratch in last Sunday's 30-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and the Rams confirmed this week they were looking for a trade partner.

    A trade to Minnesota reunites Akers with Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, who served as offensive coordinator for the Rams in Akers' first two NFL seasons.

     

    The Vikings' ground game needs some help, averaging a league-low 34.5 rushing yards per game and 2.65 yards per attempt.

    Alexander Mattison was given the No. 1 running back job as Minnesota opted to trade Dalvin Cook this offseason, but he's managed just 62 rushing yards on 19 carries.

    Akers hasn't been any better this year, finishing with 29 rushing yards on 22 attempts in the Rams' 30-13 season-opening win over the Seattle Seahawks.

    He is, however, coming off a career-high 786 rushing yards last season.

    Drafted in the second round in 2020, the 24-year-old Akers, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, rushed for 625 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.

    A preseason Achilles tendon tear wiped out nearly all of his second season, but he was able to return for the regular-season finale and rush for 172 yards in four playoff games to help the Rams capture the Super Bowl.

    Los Angeles is now moving forward at running back with Kyren Williams.

    The second-year back made his first career start last week and ran for 52 yards with a touchdown on 14 carries after rushing for 52 yards with two TDs in Week 1.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.