Packers open to using franchise or transition tag on RB Aaron Jones
The Green Bay Packers remain open to using the franchise or transition tag on running back Aaron Jones as free agency approaches.
General manager Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday that the Packers are working through the process and wouldn’t be opposed to using either tag, although the tag route isn’t the preferred option. The period to use either tag opened last week and extends to next Tuesday, March 9.
“We certainly could. It’s something we’re working through,” Gutekunst said. “It’s not a philosophical thing to avoid it, there’s usually better ways to go about it. Certainly, I think, as we’re getting down the road here over the next week or so, if that becomes the best interest of the Packers, I think we’ll do that. At this point, we haven’t done that.”
The franchise tag is a one-year guaranteed deal worth the average of the top five salaries at a position. The transition tag is a one-year guaranteed deal worth the top 10 salaries at a position.
The Packers haven’t used either tag since 2010. Gutekunst didn’t directly say it, but signing a player to a long-term deal is usually preferable to using the tag. The benefit of using the tag this season is that the one-year cost for tagging a running back is reduced due to a shrinking salary, putting the likely value of the franchise tag at around $8 million in 2021.
Jones, a first-time Pro Bowler in 2020, is a dynamic player and one of only three running backs with over 3,000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns over the last two seasons. Using the franchise tag would keep him out of free agency, give the Packers at least one more year of his services at a palatable cost and avoid the long-term risk of a lucrative deal.
Then again, even spending $8 million in cap space on a running back could be difficult for a team in a salary cap bind already. Once applied, the tag would immediately count against the Packers cap for 2021, creating another hurdle to getting under the projected cap in the new league year.
The transition tag would be cheaper, but it would not prevent other teams from signing Jones to an offer sheet in free agency. The Packers would have the right to match.
The Packers reportedly extended several competitive multi-year offers to Jones during or shortly after the regular season, suggesting a strong desire to keep him long-term. If Gutekunst can’t get a deal done in the next week, the tag might be a way to keep the dialogue open on a new deal while giving the Packers extra layers of protection against losing Jones in free agency.
However, the Packers would also have to consider how Jones would react to receiving the tag and losing the ability to find a market value multi-year deal in free agency. A fifth-round pick in 2017, Jones has played his first four seasons in the NFL on a cheap rookie contract. He’s earned a life-changing payday, but the tag could delay the deal for a year.
More details on the various tags can be found here.
List
Top things to know from Brian Gutekunst's press conference
