Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been the man in charge in Green Bay for five seasons now, and there arguably hasn't been a player who has been as consistent or as reliable in that time as running back Aaron Jones. Jones, a seven-year NFL veteran who has spent the entirety of his NFL career in Green Bay, has been a key component of the Packers offensive attack throughout LaFleur's entire tenure, and the expectation among fans heading into free agency was that Jones would be returning to the Packers. And right down to the wire, that was Matt LaFleur's expectation as well.

Instead, the Packers surprisingly signed former Raiders running back Josh Jacobs to a four-year deal right as free agency began, and in turn, released Jones, who departs as the franchise's third-leading rusher and has signed a one-year deal with NFC North division rival, the Minnesota Vikings. Multiple weeks later, while at the NFC coaches breakfast at the annual NFL Meetings, LaFleur addressed Jones' release, explaining that he, like most others, was surprised by the move.

“It kind of caught me off guard, to be honest with you,” LaFleur said, per Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal. “(Losing Jones) is really tough. Not only the football player, but the man. He walks the walk, and he does everything. He’s just such a pro, (and) that’s always tough to replace.” LaFleur went on to explain that he wasn't necessarily involved in the decision to essentially swap out Jones for Jacobs, but made sure to clarify, “we were super excited (to get Jacobs).”

Goodbye Aaron Jones, Hello Josh Jacobs 

Only Ahman Green and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Taylor have rushed for more yards in a Packers uniform than Aaron Jones did during his 7-year run in Green Bay. Surely Matt LaFleur, general manager Brian Gutekunst, and all of the Packers fans out there are hoping that one of the newest additions to their roster will join that list.

Josh Jacobs is just 26 years old, over three years younger than Jones, so from a timeline perspective, it makes sense for the Packers to bring Jacobs in. Since being selected by the Raiders in the 1st Round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Jacobs has rushed for 5,545 yards in his five seasons with the Raiders, topping the 1,000 yard mark three times, including a league-best 1,653 yards during the 2022 campaign. According to Stat Muse, only newly-signed Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry has more rushing yards than Josh Jacobs since 2019. For comparison's sake, Aaron Jones is sixth on that list.

Aaron Jones has proven to be a far more reliable pass catching option out of the backfield than Jacobs has, hauling in more receptions for more yards than Jacobs, and scoring 17 receiving touchdowns compared to zero for Jacobs. But Matt LaFleur anticipates that Jacobs could be even more involved as a pass catcher than he was in Las Vegas.

“He is tough, hard-nosed. He can be a high-volume guy. In studying him, I think there’s more out there for him in the passing game.”