Running back Aaron Jones, after bursting onto the scene in 2019 with an epic 16-touchdown season, has been a crucial part of the Green Bay Packers offense. Alas, all good things come to an end, and on Tuesday morning, Jones' Packers tenure reached its conclusion after the team decided to release the 29-year old running back after the two sides were unable to come to terms to an agreement on a restructured contract for 2024.

Jones' cap hit was set to be worth $17.575 million; this was too onerous for the Packers' liking, especially with Jones' production declining over the past few years. But it's not like Green Bay just wanted to cut Jones loose without a fight. The Packers, like they did last offseason, wanted to keep Jones, but with the 29-year old running back having to take a huge pay cut to facilitate his return to Green Bay.

This time, however, Aaron Jones' camp evidently thought that the amount the Packers wanted their longtime running back to give up was too much. According to Matt Schneidman and Dianna Russini of The Athletic, “the Packers wanted him to take almost a 50-percent pay cut, if not more.”

Negotiations between the two sides on a potential pay cut began at the start of the NFL Scouting Combine, but as Schneidman and Russini pointed out, the Packers didn't “make much progress” in that regard. Afterwards, it seemed like Green Bay was making headway, as they reportedly “got closer” to Jones' desired amount, but at the end of the day, they remained “far apart”, eventually leading to Jones' release.

Now, Aaron Jones will be an official member of the Minnesota Vikings roster on a one-year, $7 million deal, and the Packers, one of the NFL's biggest pleasant surprises in 2023, will be hoping that Josh Jacobs provides exactly what they need from their running back in a Jordan Love-led offense.

Jones has spent his entire career with the Packers to this point. Drafted by the team with the 182nd overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, Jones is undoubtedly one of the bigger draft steals in franchise history, tallying 5,940 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns in his seven-season stint in Green Bay.