Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones (89) is tackled by Chicago Bears free safety Chris Conte (47) during the second half at Soldier Field. Green Bay won 33-28. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Green Bay Packers have never been expected to re-sign impending free agent wide receiver James Jones, but that door hasn’t been slammed shut either. Jones would like to re-sign with the team and also admitted last month that he played through two broken ribs in order to help the Packers secure a playoff bid, so there’s no doubt that he wants to remain. But he’ll also want to get paid, and the Packers simply don’t have the cap flexibility to give Jones the kind of money he could get on the open market. Plus, they already have more than enough pass-catching talent, so their lack of need only hurts Jones’s chances of remaining. Jarrett Boykin’s breakout last season didn’t do Jones any favors, and the Packers also have to worry about extensions for Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson.
A source told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Bob McGinn that the Packers haven’t made a contract offer to Jones, and they aren’t expected to give him an offer before free agency opens on the 11th of March either. It’s an unsurprising report, but it is interesting nonetheless, as it shows that the Packers have no intention of trying to keep Jones and will simply allow him to walk. Their line of thinking probably goes something like this: We know we have plenty of talent at wide receiver and Jones will want a significant amount of money that we can’t offer him due to our other needs etc., so why bother?
Jones’s agent, of course, decided to take things a step further by stating that the team’s GM simply doesn’t want him back. Long-time agent Frank Bauer told McGinn, “I don’t think Ted Thompson wants him.”
I think the Packers would like to keep Jones around, but they know that they simply cannot afford to due to a few reasons that were mentioned above.