Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday at the NFL Meetings in Orlando, Florida, he was “caught off guard” at the team’s decision to cut star running back Aaron Jones and bring in former Raider Josh Jacobs, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
On March 11, the first day of NFL free agency, the Packers signed Jacobs and cut Jones in one fell swoop. The Packers apparently requested for Jones to take a pay cut of $8 million, which would’ve put him at $4 million. When Jones refused, they booted him, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
This came only five weeks after general manager Brian Gutekunst said he “absolutely” wanted Jones back and called him the “heartbeat of the team.”
Brian Gutekunst on Aaron Jones: “Yeah, absolutely, we’d love to have Aaron back…he was such a difference maker.” Calls him an “influential leader” and “heartbeat of the team.”
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) February 1, 2024
LaFleur indicated he wasn’t involved in the decision-making process.
“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,” he said during the NFL Meetings, according to the Journal.
“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.”
Sorry, but this is nuts. You don’t consult your play caller when deciding to swap out his star offensive weapon? Jacobs is a stud, no doubt, and I’m sure LaFleur is happy with the pick up. But LaFleur apparently being zero percent involved in the decision making process in building the team he’s expected to coach is puzzling, to say the least.
Besides a stud rusher — Jones is third all-time in Packers rushing yards — LaFleur is also losing one of his locker room leaders. (RELATED: ESPN Reporter Shows Insane Levels Of Cope Saying Clearly Interesting Man Isn’t Interesting)
LaFleur lamented that loss of leadership, calling Jones’ departure “really tough. Not only the football player, but the man,” LaFleur said, according to the Journal. Jones has “always been team first. He walks the walk, and he does everything. He’s just such a pro. That’s always tough to replace.”
Jones may have taken the loss personally, as indicated by his decision to immediately sign with division rival, Minnesota Vikings. Now he’ll get to face his former team twice a year and potentially show them they were fools for letting him go.
Personally, I don’t blame them for replacing Jones with the younger and more productive Jacobs. But to not consult your head coach on the move at all is indicative of a huge lapse in inter-organizational communication. All of my friends who are Packers fans absolutely hate Brian Gutekunst, whether for alienating and trading away Aaron Rodgers or letting Davante Adams go to the Raiders. I’m starting to see why.