The Green Bay Packers have once again decided to move on from their top wide receiver James Jones. The Packers have done so twice in the last two seasons, and heading into the 2016 season it looks like he will be looking for a new home again.
The Packers' reasoning is that they want to go with a stable of younger wide receivers as we enter a new season, however that might not be the best idea. Plus the Packers kept re-resigning Jones except in 2014 when he took his talents to Oakland where he had a mild season for the Raiders.
In 2015, though, when you look at Jones's numbers it is very hard to figure out why the Packers would just let him walk away and not attempt to re-sign him. The Packers leaned on Jones heavily in 2015 as he recorded 15 starts, 50 receptions, 890 receiving yards, averaged 17.8 yards per catch and had eight touchdowns.
When you compare that performance to those of his fellow teammates, his production is only rivaled (slightly) by Randall Cobb. Jordy Nelson may have been injured all of the 2015 season, but that is even more of a reason to have a dependable veteran on the roster. Cobb recorded 15 starts, caught 79 receptions, gained 829 receiving yards, averaged 10.5 yards per catch and recorded six touchdowns.
Davante Adams had an even worse season, as he was plagued by injury issues and drops all season long. He only recorded 12 starts, 50 receptions, 483 receiving yards and a touchdown. The Packers turned to the rookie Ty Montgomery to help the offense regain some serious punch, but unfortunately he was injured for most of the season as well.
That left this offense really in the hands of Jones, Cobb and receivers such as Jared Abbrederis, Jeff Janis and tight end Richard Rodgers, who saw an uptick in targets. Jones was Aaron Rodgers' main target throughout the beginning of the season, however he began to decline toward the end of the regular season.
The Packers may not want to pay a ton of money for Jones, as he is 31 years old, but he has proven to be a productive target for Rodgers time and time again. Needless to say, the Packers could once again regret letting Jones walk away. The Packers may want to take another look and let Jones retire with the franchise, as he has played with Green Bay since 2007.
