The Green Bay Packers know what Aaron Jones looks like with an extra motivation.
More than two years after the franchise moved on from one of its most productive running backs, Jones still has a point to prove when he sees his former team.
With the Minnesota Vikings set to host Green Bay in Sunday’s season opener at U.S. Bank Stadium, Jones acknowledged that the matchup hits harder because of the way his seven-year Packers tenure ended.
“I feel like any team that’s let you go, [it] is kind of special going back and playing there, especially spending 7 years there, the relationships I’ve built,” Jones said in a video shared by the Vikings on Sept. 9.
Then came the line that should get Green Bay’s attention.
“In a sense, they didn’t want me, so still go prove it,” Jones said.
The Packers have seen that edge before.
Jones remained one of Green Bay’s most popular players when the club released him in March 2024, and there was no ambiguity about what he meant to the organization.
Jones Still Has Something to Prove Against Packers
The split between Jones and Green Bay came after seven seasons, 5,940 rushing yards and 45 rushing touchdowns. When the Packers announced his release, general manager Brian Gutekunst called it “one of the hardest decisions” of his tenure.
Jones left Green Bay as the third-leading rusher in franchise history and the Packers’ career leader in yards per carry among players with at least 750 attempts.
He signed with Minnesota shortly after his release and immediately showed he had plenty left, rushing for 1,138 yards in 2024.
His production dipped in an injury-shortened 2025 season, when he totaled 548 rushing yards and 199 receiving yards in 12 games.
That helps explain why his age has become part of the discussion in 2026.
Jones, nonetheless, sounds less interested in what the calendar says than in what he can still show on the field.
His history with Green Bay adds more bite to a divisional opener that’s important for both teams anyways.
LaFleur Says Jones Can Still ‘Really Hurt You’
Packers coach Matt LaFleur did little to downplay the threat this week.
“I think he’s still quite the guy,” LaFleur said of Jones, per Ryan Wood of USA TODAY Network. “Yes, he’s got more wear and tear, but the guy’s a dynamic player, a dynamic person and can really hurt you.”
That praise fits the way LaFleur spoke about Jones when Green Bay released him. At the time, LaFleur said Jones had been instrumental in setting the culture during his first years as Packers coach and called him one of the best players he had coached.
The relationship may stay warm.
But the matchup will not be.
Green Bay’s decision to move forward without Jones was followed by the arrival of Josh Jacobs, who became the heart of the Packers’ backfield. Jones found a new home inside the division, ensuring the team that let him go would continue seeing him.
Now the Packers go into Week 1 without the luxury of viewing Jones as simply a friendly face.
LaFleur’s own description — “dynamic” and capable of hurting a defense — reflects the assignment awaiting Green Bay.
Jones has made clear what will be driving him.
The Packers let him go. And he still remembers it.
When the teams meet Sunday, he gets another shot to demonstrate his worth.
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