In the age of analytics overload in sports, there are some essentials that can’t be measured. Sure, that’s an overused concept, but in the case of Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon, it couldn’t be more accurate.
As a result, the former second-round pick out of Boston College more than deserves a contract extension.
Rare are the instances where a championship team climbs its way to the top with a team full of villains. Sure, we all want to see our rivals lose and would consider them unlikable to the core. But with the majority of championship teams, there is at least one guy who keeps everything glued together.
In Dillon, the Packers have a running back who is a force on the field and who unites the team off the field and embraces the city of Green Bay.
The Packers are going through a massive change at quarterback this season. (Unless you’ve been hibernating with the Hodag all offseason, you’re well aware). How quarterback Jordan Love performs will largely determine the fate of Green Bay in 2023 and potentially well into the future. It’s the nature of the position.
Dillon has been one of Love’s biggest supporters, constantly finding ways to hype up the first-year starter and keep morale high. In a recent spot on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Dillon bragged about Love and how the team is willing to go to war with him.
I think he definitely has all the intangibles. He’s earned the trust of the locker room. Guys respect him. Guys wanna play for him. Guys wanna help him as much as they wanna help themselves. Nothing’s perfect in football, everybody knows that. I think he’s got a lot of support. Everybody would run through a wall for him.
Words are great and they matter but take a peek at Dillon’s TikTok and look at this post.
That’s Dillon with a wide array of Love’s rookie cards. It’s a hell of a collection. Dillon put in the comments that he’s been collecting Love’s cards since his rookie season, reaffirming the faith he has in the soon-to-be starter.
Things like this may seem small on the surface, but they matter. Dillon is the guy on this roster who will go to battle for his teammates and defend them to the death. The cherry on top? He’s also a phenomenal running back and a perfect style fit for the cold weather games in Green Bay.
Speaking of Green Bay, is there a better athlete who embraces the city and surrounding Wisconsin more than Dillon?
This summer Dillon has been doing a weekly scavenger hunt, hiding autographed items and other memorabilia at certain locations throughout Green Bay. Who else does this? Not many, would be the correct answer.
It’s not an act, and it’s not some well-crafted marketing blueprint Dillon has orchestrated as means to an end. The guy genuinely enjoys the city and the fans. In June, he talked about his future with Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal.
I love Green Bay. Green Bay knows that. I love the Packers. The Packers know that. I’d play here until I can’t run anymore. I’ll pick up long snapper or whatever it is when I start slowing down. But there’s only so much I can control.
And there is only so much he can control: primarily, performance on the field.
Back-to-back seasons of not missing a single regular-season game while toting the rock 187 times in 2021 and 186 times in 2022 for 803 and 770 yards isn’t too shabby. Dillon and running back Aaron Jones make the perfect one-two punch, with Jones providing the quick burst and cutting while Dillon will just run it down your throat.
It feels somewhat odd to bring up the notion that Dillon could play elsewhere after 2023. His performance on the field is solid, and he’s a fan favorite and a great voice for the city. When tough decisions are made, it’s often chalked up to business. One of quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ biggest gripes during his time with the Green and Gold was the team letting go of veteran pillars that the superstar quarterback believed should’ve been treated better. So it’s not impossible to conjure up the idea of Dillon wearing a different uniform after this season. But it’s become very clear that if that does happen, it will be the franchise’s decision to move on, not Dillon’s.
Re-signing makes so much sense for both parties. Dillon wants to stay and is still only 25. He’s entering the prime of his career. Running-back longevity has become a contentious issue in recent seasons, with one after another RB being recycled in favor of a rookie draftee. That absolutely shouldn’t be the plan for Dillon.
Teams with championship aspirations need players like Dillon in the locker room, someone who steps up and delivers every Sunday and is a breath of fresh air in the community and in the locker room. A deal has to get done between the Packers and their emerging running back.
