Former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones will make his return to Lambeau Field on Sunday with his current team, the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers released Jones during the offseason despite general manager Brian Gutekunst telling the media and fans that he would be back in 2024. Unfortunately, Green Bay did not want to keep Jones unless he took another pay cut, something he was not willing to do.
Soon after his released, Jones signed with the Vikings. So far this year, he is experiencing a high level of success with 228 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Jones has also added 97 receiving yards and a touchdown catch through Minnesota’s first three games.
Jones is far from being the first former Packers player to sign with the Vikings, and he will be far from the last. Typically, when star players sign with their former rivals, fans of that player’s original team get up in their feelings about it.
This has not been the case for Jones and Packers fans. Rather than completely turning on the former fan-favorite in Green Bay, a huge number of fans have voiced their support of Jones ever since he signed with the Vikings. Of course, these fans hope that he does not help Minnesota beat Green Bay, but they have cheered for his success in all of the other games he has played.
As it turns out, the love that Packers fans still have for Jones is not one-sided. On Wednesday morning, the Packers’ third all-time leading rusher published a letter he wrote on the Players Tribune expressing his own love for his former organization and its fanbase.
Minnesota Vikings Running Back Aaron Jones Expresses His Love for the Green Bay Packers and Their Fans
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Fans who read Jones’ letter will find it to be both emotional and inspirational. In it, he praises the organization for believing in him, former teammates for supporting him, and fans for their incredible support.
The future Packers Hall of Famer also shared some specific stories about specific individuals who played a big role in his time in Green Bay. Perhaps the most heartfelt of these was his telling of how Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur showed up for him when his father passed away due to complications with COVID-19 in 2021:
“That’s the toughest thing I’ve been through in my whole life, and I went through it while we were preparing for a season where the goal was the Super Bowl. I knew that everyone was counting on me to be at my best — which is a lot to carry when you’re grieving a loved one. The Packers helped me carry that grief as much as they could. So many of my teammates reached out, and made me feel that fraternity.
“At the funeral, I honestly couldn’t believe it, Coach LaFleur flew all the way down to Texas. Brian Gutekunst (our GM) and Ben Sirmans (our running backs coach) also flew down. To say they didn’t have to do that is an understatement … and I know I could never repay them on a football field. So I’ll just say, ‘Thank you.’”
As one can read from the above anecdote, Gutekunst, LaFleur, and running backs coach Ben Sirmans all flew down to Texas for Jones’ father’s funeral.
This story is a reminder that, while the NFL is a cruel business (evident by the fact Jones is no longer a Packers player), the players, coaches, and executives are still people. It is incredibly sad that Jones lost his father, but it is also incredibly telling about what kind of organization the Packers are that they showed up.
