GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — For 7 seasons Aaron Jones terrorized opponents at 1265 Lombardi Avenue, making plenty of Lambeau leaps and winning the hearts of Packers fans along the way
But now this weekend, he returns to his old stomping grounds as a part of the Minnesota Vikings and some players in the Packers locker room summed it up best, it’s going to be a little weird.
“I mean it’s going to be weird, he’s been our teammate for what 7 years,” said defensive tackle Kenny Clark
Jones had 5,940 rushing yards, good for third all-time in Packers history.
“His legacy will live on forever,” said Packers head coach Matt LaFleur
If you talk to anyone who was teammates with Jones, it wasn’t just his on the field play that made an impact.
“He was everything,” said LaFleur. “There's a reason he was a captain here and he did so much for the community and he just, I thought he always represented the organization the way you want a player to represent the organization.”
“He's just a tremendous teammate,” Clark said. “He cares about everybody, he wants everybody to be successful. His effort on the field is tremendous.”
The last time Jones left Lambeau field he thought he was coming back – only to be released the same day they signed Josh Jacobs.
“It's nothing but love,” Jones said. “I understand it’s a business and sometimes you gotta make business decisions. It may be a hard decision, but you got to make a decision and live with it.”
Don’t you think for one second he’s not eyeing a Lambeau leap.
“If you’re not thinking about the end zone, you’re thinking about the wrong thing – I’m definitely leaping,” said Jones. “I'm definitely excited to go back. That’s where it all started for me. Just a moment of gratitude. A full circle moment.”
The Packers know as much as they love Jones, they have to go out there and stop him.
“No different than when I go against my brother,” LaFleur said. “You gotta shut it off for a period of time and then you can hug him after the game and tell him you love him.”
“He's got great vision,” said Clark. “(He has) a great feel for the game. He's got great balance, so we got to do a great job making sure we’re gap sound.”
