Aaron Jones says Packers have all the pieces, aren't in a rebuild after Aaron Rodgers departure
Many believe the trading of Aaron Rodgers signaled the Green Bay Packers would be entering a rebuild, or at least fall out of contention in the NFC. You can miss Aaron Jones with that.
The Packers star running back believes Green Bay can still win some games with Jordan Love at the helm. According to Jones, the Packers have all they need to make an impact, and they’re not even thinking about a rebuild.
“We’ve got everything we need here. If you think we’re in a rebuild, you’ve got the wrong team, the wrong place,” Jones said, via Zach Kruse of USA TODAY. “We know it’s going to take all 11 and we’ll have to depend on each other in all phases, but we’re hungry, we’re ready to prove a lot of people wrong.
“We know what people are saying. Everybody has an opinion and most of them stink.”
While Rodgers was phenomenal at times last season, the Packers still missed the playoffs with him. The drama surrounding him lingered over their head consistently for the past two seasons, and it may have had something to do with Green Bay’s disappointing 2022 campaign.
Perhaps Jordan Love at the helm, along with Matt LaFleur’s more singular vision for the offense, will propel Green Bay in 2023. In a weak division with some blistering talent on both sides of the football, the Packers could be a sleeper playoff team next season. That is, to everyone aside from Aaron Jones.
Green Bay Packers announce 2023 preseason schedule
Continuing, the Green Bay Packers have finalized their 2023 preseason schedule, the franchise announced last week. They will play three games — including two at home — before kicking off the season on Sept. 10.
Green Bay will start its preseason slate on Aug. 11 by traveling to the Cincinnati Bengals. Then, the Packers return home for two straight games, the first of which comes against the New England Patriots Aug. 19. One week later, they’ll square off against the Seattle Seahawks in the preseason finale on Aug. 26.
From there, the Packers will lift the curtain on the 2023 season and the Jordan Love era on Sept. 10 against the Chicago Bears on the road at Soldier Field. That game will kick off at 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX. Love is preparing to take over as Green Bay’s new QB1 following the Aaron Rodgers era, which ended in a long-awaited trade to the New York Jets last month ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Love has only started one game with Green Bay since being selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, but the Packers have invested in him with a “unique” contract extension rather than simply picking up his fifth-year option. While he’ll likely get some looks during the preseason, his first regular season test will come out of the gate in Week 1.