The
Packers can be assured that at least one starter who is approaching free agency will be testing the market for his services. Wideout James Jones, who set a career-high in receiving yards this season, will wait until March to see what teams think of him,
according to the Journal-Sentinel's Tyler Dunne.
Jones apparently does not have a firm idea of what type of contract he is looking for, as this comment to Dunne indicates:
Jones: "I’m not one of those guys who goes home and says I’m worth 30, 40 million. We’ll see what happens when the market comes."
#packers
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne)
January 6, 2014
The last time Jones hit the open market was after the Packers'
Super Bowl run in 2010. Jones found the market very soft for a receiver who had not exceeded 50 receptions, 700 yards, or 5 touchdowns in a season and was perceived to have an issue with drops. Instead of signing elsewhere, Jones waited until just before training camp to
sign a three-year deal with Green Bay in 2011, and he became a steady (albeit not flashy) starter since then.
Jones' single-season highs can be found below, and his highs in all categories have come under that three-year contract. In fact, Jones led the league in receiving touchdowns in 2012.
| Category | Career High | Season |
| Starts | 15 | 2012 |
| Receptions | 64 | 2012 |
| Yards | 817 | 2013 |
| Yards per reception | 16.7 | 2011 |
| Touchdowns | 14 | 2012 |
Jones made $3.25 million in 2013 in the last year of that three-year contract. In the coming months, we'll see what interest a solid #2 receiver draws around the league.
Also worth noting in Dunne's first tweet is that starting center
Evan Dietrich-Smith is also poised to test the free agent market after re-signing with the Packers as a restricted free agent in 2013.
