Aaron Jones hiring Drew Rosenhaus is bad sign for contract talks

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones switched agents as he looks for a new contract ahead of free agency.

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones is set to become a free agent at season’s end and was hoping to reach an agreement with the team before hits the open market. However, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that the talks went nowhere, and shortly afterwards, Jones parted ways with his agent. But he wasn’t a free agent for too long.

NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus sent out a tweet on Monday night to reveal that he signed Jones and his brother, Alvin, as clients.

Aaron Jones is looking to cash in ahead of free agency

Jones, a fifth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, is the most underpaid player in the league and arguably its most underrated. He was buried on the depth chart during the Mike McCarthy era, but since Matt LaFleur took over as head coach, Jones has thrived. Last season, Jones rushed for 1,084 yards and a league-high 16 touchdowns on 236 carries.

Some thought the season was an anomaly, since there are plenty in the “don’t pay running backs” camp. Yet, Jones has shown through 11 games that’s he’s the real deal. The fourth-year running back has rushed for 823 yards and seven touchdowns on 160 carries.

This past year showed that teams were willing to dish out the money to running backs. The Carolina Panthers signed Christian McCaffrey to a four-year, $64 million contract extension back in April, while the Cincinnati Bengals inked Joe Mixon to a four-year, $48 million deal just ahead of the season. However, both have been limited this season due to injuries. McCaffrey was limited to three games this campaign with ankle, shoulder and quad issues, while Mixon missed seven games with a foot injury.

The thing is, Jones has shown that he’s not injury-prone, which could work in his favor at the negotiation table. Fortunately, he has an agent in Rosenhaus who’s gotten billions of dollars for his clients. Now it all depends on the Packers and how much money they’re willing to give him before he tests out free agency.