Cowboys to Make ‘Immediate’ Decision If $48 Million RB Is Cut: Insider.

The Cowboys may have a chance for a lucky break if the Green Bay Packers, who defeated them in the playoffs, do not do well. The Packers have yet to make a decision on the future of running back Aaron Jones, who is negotiating a wage reduction for the second consecutive year. If they can’t, the Packers, who are short on cap space, may be forced to waive Jones.

And it would be a great chance for the Cowboys to sign a behemoth of a running back who finished strong last season and could be gotten at a modest cost as he looks to establish his worth. If the Packers’ standoff ends in a waiver, the Cowboys, or whatever club signs Jones next, face some danger. However, the advantage is too big to pass up.

According to Jason La Canfora, an NFL source for the Washington Post, if Jones is cut, he may receive instant calls from Baltimore and Dallas, among other teams.

Aaron Jones surged late in 2023.

Going to the Cowboys would have to be extremely appealing for Jones if he believes the Packers are shorting him on his salary. Jones is in the final year of a four-year, $48 million contract, set to pay him $12 million this year. He accepted a $5 million wage reduction last year, so it’s reasonable that he didn’t feel the need to give back more this year.

According to Spotrac, his current market worth is $5.1 million annually. No question, Jones is overpaid in relation to his work, which has been influenced by his health. Jones was not fully healthy for much of the season and missed six games, finishing with 656 yards on 142 carries.

Jones, on the other hand, was a dynamic player when healthy. During Weeks 16-18 for Green Bay, he averaged 119.3 yards and continued to perform well in the postseason, as Cowboys fans will recall. Jones carried for 118 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers’ playoff opener against the Dallas Cowboys. He gained 108 yards in the Packers’ second-round defeat to the 49ers.

Those should be viewed as unambiguous signs that Jones is one of the greatest in the NFL—when healthy.

Cowboys Monitoring the RB Market

It’s possible that the Packers will see this as well and eventually reach an agreement with Jones on a renegotiated contract. But if they don’t, they’ll find themselves in the middle of a very open running-back market, one in which the Cowboys are really interested. Tony Pollard, Dallas’ running back, is a free agent, and the Cowboys may look to replace him.

“And the Packers, with a rising franchise quarterback earning pennies on a rookie contract, may be the wild card in all of this. Jones has not been durable; Green Bay paid him almost $11 million last season for only 142 carries and two touchdowns. He has earned more than $30 million from Green Bay, and the team is committed to being balanced offensively as quarterback Jordan Love enters his second full season as a starter.

“Chances are it can find a new every-down back for far less per year than Jones’s 2024 cost of $12 million.”

If the Packers decide that conserving money on running backs is more essential than maintaining Jones, the Cowboys should be prepared.

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