Paying Jones an average of close to $4 million per year might seem high for a player that wasn’t even a regular starter at inside linebacker until the middle of the season.

But it could be argued that Jones was a more valued contributor on the Packers defense than A.J. Hawk, who recently accepted a pay cut that compensates him at a rate of approximately $3.6 million per year.[FLOATIMG=Right]http://packershome.com/forum/images/logo.png[/FLOATIMG]

Jones getting more money than Hawk makes some sense, considering he was an every-down inside linebacker. Jones was better than Hawk in pass coverage and held the middle linebacker job in the Packers’ dime defense.

Jones, who turns 27 next month, played the second-most defensive snaps during the Packers’ two playoff games. Jones finished third on the team in tackles during the regular season.

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