The Facts: While there was a reasonable debate to be had about the wisdom of the trading up to pick their quarterback of the future in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, there were some who openly questioned if picking Boston College running back A.J. Dillon in the second round might not have been an ill-advised selection, too. But those who equated the Jordan Love pick and Dillon pick were apparently blind to the reality that the Packers are now facing a month out from the start of the NFL’s new league year and the start of free agency: The team could lose both of its top running backs, Jones and Jamaal Williams, on the open market.

Diehards Line:In two years in HC Matt LaFleur’s balanced offense, which is predicated on a strong running game that sets up a dangerous play-action downfield passing game, Jones put up back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, tied for the NFL lead in total touchdowns in 2019 with 19 and has averaged 1,508.5 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns. Despite missing two games with a calf injury in 2020, Jones set a career high for rushing yards (1,104) and matched a career best in yards per carry (5.5). Over the past two years, he’s averaged 266.5 offensive touches per season and played an average of 601 offensive snaps. ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky reported Jones received multiple extension proposals from the Packers, but the deals lacked the guaranteed money Jones was seeking, despite containing average-per-year salaries that were commensurate with the NFL’s other highly compensated backs such as Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook, New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara. “We’d certainly like to bring him back," GM Brian Gutekunst said during his annual after-the-season Q&A session with reporters. "Obviously, there’s some challenges. As we go through the next few months, I think we’ll be able to get some of those things to see if that’s going to be a possibility.” The unsung Williams, meanwhile, appeared to be a more economical alternative to bringing back Jones at market price, but it appears Williams is set to test free agency, too. Williams never received an in-season offer from the Packers, according to one league source. ... We'll be watching for more.