GREEN BAY While the tenuous labor negotiations between the NFL and the NFL Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement are having an impact on any and all of the free agents-to-be, itd be hard to find a player in a tougher predicament than Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones.
For starters, as a four-year NFL veteran, Jones is in limbo as to whether hell be an unrestricted free agent, as he would under the rules applied during the salary cap era, or a restricted free agent, as he would be under the 2010 rules during the uncapped year, when it took six years of NFL experience to gain unrestricted status. Jones did confirm Monday that he received a qualifying offer from the Packers in the event that the 2010 rules apply
Then there are the competing desires Jones feels in his heart. After four years as a backup behind starters Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, Jones would love nothing more than to get an opportunity to start. Given that Jennings just earned his first Pro Bowl selection and the ageless Driver, who turned 36 a few days before the Super Bowl, intends to keep playing, Jones realizes such an opportunity might have to come elsewhere.
But after playing on the Super Bowl XLV champions, he also knows that hes part of a team whose window of success might just be opening.
Thus, as he attended Monday nights premiere of the Packers Super Bowl XLV Champions DVD at the Meyer Theatre in Green Bay, Jones found himself conflicted about his future and uncertain of when hell even know what his options truly are.
"My main thing going through all this is, do I want to be a starter in the National Football League? No question. Do I feel like I'm a starter? No question, Jones told a handful of reporters before the films viewing. I know we've got something great here. I mean, this team could win some championships for the next couple years. But at the same time, I do want to be a starter. I don't know if that's ever going to happen here with Donald playing until he's 40."
Jones, Jennings and Driver were the three players representing the team at Monday nights premiere, with Driver scheduled to sign copies of the DVD at the Best Buy store in Ashwaubenon when it went on sale to the public at midnight. Both Jennings and Driver said they hope their buddy is back in 2011.
"This is my first time seeing him since we won (the Super Bowl), and he's in Green Bay, so that's a good sign. I don't think I'm going to have to twist his arm, Jennings said. He's going to have to make a business decision for himself. First of all, we need the CBA to be signed for anything to happen. But he has to make the best decision for him and his family. If I have any say, it's here in Green Bay."
Added Driver: "We want J.J. back. We have a great group of guys that have great chemistry together. We all bring something different to the table, but it's truly amazing what we all can bring. To have J.J., I mean, it takes a lot of pressure off all of us. It takes pressure off Greg, it takes pressure off me, it takes pressure off Jordy (Nelson) and it takes pressure off Brett Swain. Our receivers are one of the best (units) in the game, and if we can keep ourselves together, it shows you what we can do down the stretch and for years to come."
At the same time, Driver, who went down with an ankle injury in the first half of Super Bowl XLV, made it clear on Monday night that he has no intention of retiring, especially just 42 yards shy of breaking Pro Football Hall of Famer James Loftons franchise record for receiving yards. (Driver already owns the team reception record.)
"So many people think that after you win the Super Bowl, you've got to retire, Driver said. Now I can leave (on) my own terms. I think you get to a point in your career where you just want to put a nice stamp on your legacy, and my legacy is here. One thing I want to do is have James Lofton's record. I need 42 yards to surpass him. I want my records to stand forever. My goal is to make sure that one day, no one ever wears No. 80 again.
Who will wear Jones No. 89 in 2011 is another matter. Jones caught 50 passes for 679 yards and five touchdowns in 16 regular-season games, ranking third on the team in receptions (behind Jennings 76 and Drivers 51), second in yardage (to Jennings 1,265) and second in touchdown catches (to Jennings 12). In four postseason games, he caught 11 passes for 144 yards and two TDs, including five receptions for 50 yards in Super Bowl XLV. In four years, Jones has caught 149 passes for 2,069 yards and 13 TDs in regular-season play.
Whats vexing to coaches and fans alike is Jones inconsistency in catching the ball. According to STATS LLC, Jones dropped six passes in regular season play in 2010, and he also had a game-changing fumble late in the fourth quarter of a Week 3 loss at Chicago. Jones also dropped what likely would have been long touchdowns in regular-season games against the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and New York Giants, then dropped what should have been a 63-yard touchdown in the Packers NFC Wild Card victory at Philadelphia and a would-be 75-yard touchdown in Super Bowl XLV against Pittsburgh.
At the same time, Jones might have the best hands on the team, given the way hes able to pluck the ball out of the air and makes tough catches like his 20-yard touchdown against Atlanta in the NFC Divisional playoffs look routine.
For now, Jones must wait and see whether those drops have had a significant impact on the way the organization views him. Jones could draw plenty of interest on the open market from a team looking for a young player ready to emerge as a starter; on the other hand, the Packers could see him and/or Nelson as a viable alternative to Driver at a position where they must get younger eventually. Thus, Jones could have competing offers with different money, a different role and a different team outlook.
"They did tender me. My agent called, said they tendered me. I didn't ask questions about, first, second, third, or whatever the tender was. I just said, OK, whatever. We'll wait on the CBA to see what happens, Jones said. My agent said they were going to talk at the combine. But like I said, once all this CBA stuff is done, all the stuff will start falling into place. If they want me, they'll make something happen. And if they don't, they'll let me know.
"When I was coming out of college, my main goal was to stay at one place throughout my career. But at the same time, you've got to go what's best for your family and at the same time, it's not up to me. It's up to the organization. Hopefully, we can do something to keep me here. If not, I love the city, love the team, would love to come back. But it's up to them.
"Jason Wilde" wrote: