Aaron Jones Is The Heir To The Throne Of Donald Driver

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One of the most enjoyable parts of being a sports fan in Wisconsin is seeing crossover support between athletes on the three largest professional teams in the state the Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Green Bay Packers. Whether it’s Christian Yelich collaborating with Pat Connaughton on the NBA Dunk Contest, David Bakhtiari mixing beers in front of Bucks games, or Giannis Antetokounmpo taking on a game at Lambeau, it’s usually a good sign for to fans who see an athlete invested in more than the team that signed on to his salary.

Giannis and Lambeau. pic.twitter.com/8KstCJaVGu

– jpaul (@ Jpaul1313) September 16, 2018

Now, it could be the love Packers fans showed to a fifth round pick from UTEP, or the four-year, $ 48 million contract he signed just a few months ago, but Aaron Jones accepted the all things Wisconsin in his four years as a pro. He’s on a path to compiling career statistics that will get him into Green Bay legends, and the goodwill he has done along with performing on the field is reminiscent of a career that Donald Driver hasn’t been too long.

The driver spent his entire 14-year career in Green Bay after being selected in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. There are some similarities right away at bat, with Driver and Jones both late picks (213rd overall for Driver, 182nd overall for Jones) and either player exactly came from the football powerhouses in college (Driver attended Alcorn State).

It took a little longer for Driver to become a regular contributor for the Packers, with three receptions in his first season and 37 catches overall in his first three seasons. Jones erupted from a muddy backfield into a rookie man featuring a lot of Ty Montgomery at a time that saw Brett Hundley start nine games under middle. In his second season, Jones led the team in both yards and carries.

The driver put up seven 1,000-yard campaigns in his 14 seasons with Green Bay, including six in a row from 2004 to 2009, earning three Pro Bowl nods in the process. Even after his vigor, he was able to hang on and become a role player within a dynamic pass-catching group that included Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Randall Cobb, and Jermichael Finley in 2010 and 2011. The that production at the tail in his career allowed Driver to retire as the franchise’s all -time leader in receiving yards, a little 481 yards ahead of Hall of Famer James Lofton.

It’s probably unrealistic to expect a 14 -year NFL career for Aaron Jones, since the churn in the running back position is faster than the wide receiver. Packers top rusher Ahman Green, reached 8,322 yards with Green Bay in seven and a half seasons with the team. Jones is 11th on the entire team rushing list with 3,364 yards, and if he can stay as productive as in recent seasons, he certainly threatens all of the Green Packers ’scores. If Jones matches the 1,094-yard average he has had over the past two seasons, he will be just 582 yards shy of Driver at the end of his contract. A monster 1,300- or 1,400-yard years for Jones mixed in there, and that franchise record could be his before long.

Outside of production and longevity, Driver has created a permanent bond with the fanbase. Most of it has to do with his on-field performance. But his charming personality, local endorsements, and the fact that he has remained a Packers player for his entire career will keep him cemented as a Green Bay legend and a face of the franchise among coming year.

Jones doesn’t seem content to limit himself to just the city of Green Bay. He had a busy summer hyped up at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on the Bucks ’playoff run and also helped start NASCAR racing on Road America this past weekend.

They are not in @roadamerica with #Packers @Showtyme_33 waving the green flag at the long -awaited return of @NASCAR. pic.twitter.com/CH6tl2JOc7

– Cody Krupp (@CodyWKrupp) July 4, 2021

To add icing to the cake, Jones and Za’Darius Smith took the mantle from Driver, and then Jordy Nelson, as host of the Packers ’charity softball game at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers’ home field in Appleton.

THE BOYS ARE BACK!

Aaron Jones and ZaDarius Smith are set to host the Green & Gold Charity Softball Challenge on Monday, August 16th!

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 30 at noon. @ Showtyme_33 @zadariussmith #TRatNation #GoPackGo

https://t.co/Kw4hvSyqbU pic.twitter.com/fw01xfgBrg

– Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) June 28, 2021

When Jones signed his extension in March, surprising many Packers fans, he strongly expressed his passion for Green Bay and his desire to stay. From Matt Schneidman at The Athletic:

This is the home for me, Jones told local reporters in March about Zoom. This is where my career started and I just feel like everything is here in the system, I got my home here, I got my teammates, the coaching staff, everything. So I felt it was appropriate for me and continue to play where I am playing.

I feel like I don’t even have a scratch on the surface to get in anyway. I feel like I’ve still got a lot of growing to do, and I think it’s scary for a lot of people.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was sure to let everyone know that Jones left money on the table because of his desire to remain a Packer.

From Aaron Jones ’agent, @DrewJRosenhaus: We were expecting bigger free agency offers but Aaron wanted to stay with the Packers.

– Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) March 14, 2021

There are many parallels between Jones and Driver, but his joy and sincere love for the Green Bay Packers and the fans seems to be the most enduring common thread. Now, Jones may do it with bigger hats and flashier sunglasses than Driver did, but real smiles are also loved by Packers fans.

Aaron Jones smiles after his MONSTER day.

I also need to update my #Packers sunglasses collection pic.twitter.com/NrwhWqQtCj

– MK Burgess (@MK_Burgess) September 20, 2020

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