As the August 31st deadline for a 53 man roster draws near, the Packers have released Safety Josh Jones today and GM Brian Gutekunst announced that RB Darrin Hall was released on Saturday. The news on Jones was confirmed on Twitter by the player:
It’s been real Green Bay. The Packers just informed me of my release
— J. Jones (@JoshJones11_) August 25, 2019
Via text message, Josh Jones said that he had no comment on his release but that he wishes the Packers the best.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 25, 2019
You may recall that Jones requested to be traded back in May. While our own Rob had Jones picked out as a potential breakout player this year, it looks like the chemistry just wasn’t there between him and the team. One Total Packers writer wrote about early signs that things weren’t going so well be Jones and the Packers last fall.

Due to several off-season moves, the Packers will certainly not be lacking in the Safety department this season. While it was not confirmed that Jones was unhappy until May of this year, the team seemed well aware of his frustration by adding a couple of players to the position recently. Two recent additions by the team at the position include Darnell Savage – drafted in the first round this previous draft and Adrian Amos – a former Chicago Bear obtained via free agency. There were also some rumors in July that the team was still exploring options for another addition. They also resigned S Ibraheim Campbell earlier this month.
As a second round pick, Josh Jones will be added to the heap pile of Packer draft busts.
The #Packers have released RB Darrin Hall https://t.co/TY7isOCXw7
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 24, 2019
The Packers released RB Darrin Hall, who had been claimed off waivers from the Bengals on July 27. GM Brian Gutekunst has been working the phones looking for another back in the trade market, according to league sources. https://t.co/8WkU7fTBZl
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 24, 2019
Hall was claimed off the waiver by the Packers from the Bengals in July. Hall’s preseason stats include 10 carries for a total of 39 yards. To be fair, none of the backs played this preseason have done much to impress. In related news, Gutekunst is still looking to fill that RB position:
The Packers released RB Darrin Hall, who had been claimed off waivers from the Bengals on July 27. GM Brian Gutekunst has been working the phones looking for another back in the trade market, according to league sources. https://t.co/8WkU7fTBZl
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 24, 2019
After this move, the current remaining RBs are Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, Tra Carson, Dexter Williams, and Keith Ford.
The Minnesota Vikings are pleased to announce the signing of Josh Jones. Mike Zimmer- Josh brings a physicality and athleticism to our secondary we felt we are lacking in and we are excited to pair him with Harrison Smith.
Yeah, actually I’d love to have him on the Vikings. I thought he was a great pick by the Packers. A steal actually. I had him as a Top 10 player overall in that year’s draft.
We won’t have a chance though. We have 5 very good safeties right now for one thing. Also, I think Jones will get scooped up by one of the half a league of teams ahead of the Vikings in the waiver claim order.
Look, the Packers have spent draft capital on DBs hand over fist like a drunken sailor and have almost nothing to show for it. This means one of two things or both. Either it is poor coaching or it it poor drafting. You have D. Randall, a great pick, a player I loved, a SAFETY. Say it with me: SAFETY. Then put over at corner. Playing safeties at corner is not a know recipe for success in the NFL. Then he goes somewhere else as, imagine it now, a SAFETY, and, boom, pro bowler. That’s bad coaching there.
Rollins and Jackson are bad drafting though. Jackson is a zone corner drafted to play in The Pettine Zoo (trademark) man to man scheme. Square peg? Some over her and meet this here round hole.
There are other examples (Clinton-Dix, King, etc.) but suffice it to say I think it has been both poor coaching and poor drafting and not just by those no longer in Green Bay.
Also, I believe the team getting Jones will be wise and fortunate and Jones will go on to be a success. If he has a Zimmer/George Edwards/Vic Fangio type coaching him he will become a pro bowl level player. We’ll see. He could still fall victim to bad coaching outside of Green Bay.
Who was to blame for the Vikings non playoff 8-7-1 season last year? Not being demeaning….just want to know but already regret asking. Was it Zimmer/Edwards/Fangio?
You’re off subject here but I’ll indulge. Put the shoe on your foot. Take your 6-9-1 team, give them a new OC who is incompetent (DeFilipo was a nightmare — he almost gave up play action which is a Kirk Cousins forte and went mostly shotgun a Kirk Cousins weakness. Literally, all the things we did well he stopped doing as soon as he could and all that we did poorly he repeated. We were demolishing the Patriots and Seahawks with out run game and so he abandoned the run entirely for instance). Now give your 6-9-1 team a much tougher schedule. Then have your offensive line coach die as training camp opens and replace him with a TE coach and have an intern coach your TEs. Now, don’t you think you’ll be even worse than 6-9-1? That is what happened to the Vikings.
KILLER August 26, 2019
I don’t know why i have to keep coming in here, and get asked questions about the vikings. This is a Green Bay Packer site, if i wanted to talk about the vikings i’d go to a viking site. Or i’d just google. “Top 5 NFL worst franchises”.
You tell him!
Tougher schedule? Not sure about that.
Non division opponents Packers…Bills, 49ers, Rams, Pats, Cardinals,Dolphins, Jets,Seattle, Falcons, Redskins
Non division opponents Vikings…..Bills, 49ers, Rams, Pats, Cardinals,Dolphins, Jets,Seattle, Eagles, Saints
Too bad about the guy who died really…(trying not to say GB fans would have been happy if the head coa…….)
I didn’t say it, I didn’t say it…..
I was actually comparing the Vikings schedule being tougher in 2018 than it was in 2017. I actually wrote on this very site prior to 2018 that we could be a much better team in 2018 but still end up with a significantly worse W-L. I wrote that 10-6 would be a good accomplishment. That was before we lost our o-line coach and before finding out DeFilipo was such a schmuck.
However, just to correct your point anyway:
https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/nfl/proper-way-to-calculate-strength-of-schedule/
You will see that this year our true strength of schedules is 11th most difficult for the Vikings and 18th for the Packers. If, for instance, both teams ended up 9-7 then it would actually be a greater accomplishment for the Vikings. If you go to the bottom of the web page provided you will see a link for 2018 strength of schedule.
You will then see the Vikings were 14th and the Packers were 27th. Imagine that. Only 5 other NFL teams had an easier schedule than the Packers and yet the Packers ended up 6-9-1. Ouch.
See…now were talking. There is nothing wrong with discussing the queens on a Packer site. Matter of fact, i have no problem giving credit to the queens when they win a big game. Like back in 1976, the last time they won a NFCCG, it seems like only yesterday doesn’t it? They went to the Super Bowl after that game…IMAGINE THAT.
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Of course, they ended up getting rolled by the Raiders. Regardless, 1976 was a good year for the queens.
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OUCH
LOL…smh….So easy.
KILLER August 25, 2019
Look, the Packers have spent draft capital on DBs hand over fist like a drunken sailor and have almost nothing to show for it. Not unlike how my vikings have spent so many 1st round picks and gobs and gobs of money on our quest for a QB, and also have nothing to show for it.
It’s everyone’s fault Ferris, and we are so inept, we may never win a damn thing,
That just may be the smartest and most honest thing i ever saw the Lonely Boy write.
The bottom line is there are at least 3 guys ahead of him on the depth chart, probably more. Our UDFAs have played better. He’s had one good game and a few okay ones. If he could play like a first or second rounder, then he could act like one with impunity, but his shit is EXACTLY what the packers don’t need right now. I usually take the player’s side, but nothing I’ve seen or read about him says he’s worth the pita he’s causing. Last year, he could barely crack the depth chart against a room full of udfas and he absolutely didn’t look like a pro player this pre-season.
At least Randall made plays and you could see he was probably playing out of position. We are on the verge of calling up the local subway to find an ILB and he can’t make the team. That is telling to me.
I may end up eating these words, or I may not…the knocks on him coming out of college were that was too aggressive and had issues in coverage. What about that has changed? I hope he gets his shit right, but I won’t bet on it.
Another Ted pick bites the dust. At least we might have moved past the era of keeping players on the roster for the duration of their contract simply because we drafted them, even though they contribute next to nothing. So that’s a good sign.
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But to move forward (as a team) we have to start adding players who contribute on the roster, we are still subtracting. I know, i know….the draft and free agents we signed, i get it. It’s just that i want to see it, with my own eyes. I’m getting funny that way.
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GO GARY GO!!
Ted-“I picked Aaron Rodgers” drop mic while drooling all over himself and exits the stage through a door that end up being a closet.
Hey! That was actually pretty funny! You DO have a sense of humor. Who knew?
Time to revert back to form. Go ahead, dig deep into your middle school psyche and write something you think is demeaning towards me but which really just demeans yourself. We know you can do it.
I have a better idea…tell us all where you live and we will come over and watch both Packer/Viking games together. The truth is I have made friends with Bears fans and Lions fans at games. Maybe we could co-exist. I’m done ripping you, I’ll just never understand why you comment here so much. Don’t explain…just sayin.
I’ll bring the popcorn and a couple of girls to work security in case the Lonely Boy turns into a “killer”.
Actually… sounds like fun. (!) I’m up for it!
Well yea…..it’s human interaction.
Ask your Mom if we can come over and we are there. We’ll bring the beer in using the old laundry basket technique. She won’t be suspicious.
Ted did pick Aaron Rodgers. Pretty much did the scouting on him himself.
Mike Sherman was in the room at the same time when Thompson drafted Rodgers. Sherman was the coach then and previously ran the drafts for Green Bay. He said, as a coach, he would not have taken Rodgers. He was leaning towards a receiver for Brett Favre. The first round receivers in 2005 were Braylon Edwards, Troy Williamson, Mike Williams, Matt Jones, Mark Clayton and Roddy White. Only Roddy White was successful.
Ted did make the Jones pick, however this is one of Ted’s picks you can specifically point to Gutekunst as promoting before the draft. According to McCarthy in May of 2017:
“I remember seeing (film of) Josh Jones playing back in November. And Brian Gutekunst saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got to take a look at this guy,’ ” McCarthy recalled of Jones. “So he was a favorite player of mine in the draft class long before we even went to the combine (in February).”
Which shouldn’t comfort anyone, even the kool – aid drinkers. I have to imagine that even the kool-aid drinkers are diminishing like Hillary voters at a Presidential election.
Yeah, I think we are seeing Gutekunst favors athleticism and is willing to spend high draft picks on it. Thompson only spent late round picks on these guys, but drafted more football guys, but forced them to play in positions they were not familiar.
One odd thing about the reported release of Jones. The Packers signed two free agents this morning Folson and Kalili. The two free agents names are already added to the roster on the Packers site.
One thing over the years is the Packers are very good about updating their roster as releases and additions occur.
It may just be someone overlooked taking Josh Jones name off the official Packer roster, but Josh Jones name is still on the roster at (not removed) 2:47 PM Eastern time, while the two free agent names have been added. Curious. Who broke the news? Josh Jones? This may be a release, but may also be a something else.
The bottom line imo is this…he was one notch below horrible in coverage, if Pettine saw something in him that was worth keeping, they would have kept him. I would think this release had Pettine’s stamp of approval.
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It is what it is. The same thought process i have with the Green Bay Packers annually.
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Whose next….Josh Jackson?
No disagreement from me about coverage. I would add Jones was also a bad tackler. Jones whiffed on tackles badly. Jones unlike some of the DBs (Williams, Dix, Jackson, and later last season Breeland) for the Packers did not shy away from tackles/contact. Jones had problems coming under control and making tackles. The further away from the ball carrier Jones was when the receiver or ball carrier received the ball the more chance Jones would get juked and be left grasping air or grass.
LOl…yea, i remember….sometimes Josh Jones made T Willy look “aggresive”.
check this out from his college scouting report: “Will come in too hot looking to lay the lumber and end up missing his mark as a tackler. Needs to do better job of coming to balance as a tackler. From zone coverage, can be a little slow to anticipate routes and squeeze the throwing windows. Gets hyper-focused on quarterback and will lose track of his assignments. Will bite on play-action bait and get drawn out of position.”
Yea, joking aside…Jones positive was that he was aggressive and he was physical and could tackle (when he was in position to do so). The downside to this move (which could have been made for a variety of reasons) is that the depth after Savage and Amos is a real concern. But then again, we can say that for a handful of positions.
I think there’s a good chance some team is going to pick him up and he’s going to play very well for them. This seems like he just didn’t like the way the Packers were going to use him.
I dunno…tape doesnt lie…and this dude coulsnt crack the lineup during last years fiasco. Seems he could fit as an undersized mlb if anything but unfortunately his speed doesnt translate to coverage ability so that kind of defeats an important aspect of an undersized mlb.
Not rooting against him and who knows… a change of scenery could be what he needs but I wont hold my breath.
As another poster mentioned the concerns know his draft evaluation are still his mo as a pro.
I’m glad the Packers cut Jones/Rosenhaus. However, I’m not sure that the Packers would have cut Jones if Jones (1) showed up for organized team activities (2) did not fake a Hamstring injury (the preferred injury for Rosenhaus) (3) claimed an illness so he would not have to practice. Watch that illness will not keep Jones off the field once a new team that Rosenhaus approves of, claims or signs Jones. The rest of the on field issues for Jones will continue but not the illness.
This is not the first time and won’t be the last time Rosenhaus fucks with teams that draft or sign his clients. The most recent being Antonio Brown, but Mike McKenzie and Javon Walker come to mind for the Packers.
The best thing the Packers could do is put a big red X across any player’s name that has hired Rosenhaus as their agent. It is not worth the effort. Remember that on your scouting reports Gutekunst.
When disappointing players get released, or traded, it is true that some of them excel on a different team, different situation, position change, different atmosphere, different coaches,etc….but it’s just not all that common.
I think there was a reason that John Dorsey felt that he could live without Kizer. If a player can’t help your team, a winning franchise will cut their losses and move forward. There really is no gray area.
I’d be a bit surprised if Jones gets picked up real soon unless it is just a short term kick-the-tires camp visit. Maybe well into the season when injuries force a decision on a desperate team he lands somewhere for a while but I doubt any GM is going, “Oh great, Josh Jones is available. Prayers answered!” He might just go the way of Nick Perry, but Perry has a good nest egg to live off. Jones will need a job. So Josh, keep your driving record in shape, stay clean, and get a CDL. Lots of trucking jobs I hear.
I know where he can buy tires :)
McDonald’s is always hiring! Jones sucked! Goodbye you useless turd! Maybe he can be haha’s backup in Chicago. Let them witness that buffoonery in person!
Classic Packer fan behavior towards former players. Just classic. Always kick them when they’re down.
What are everyone’s thoughts on Luck retiring? And the fans booing him? I am thinking about if Rodgers just says fuck it and retires what my reaction, and others would be. I don’t think Rodgers would do what Luck did, Rodgers ego wouldn’t allow that. He is too big of a competitor I think, not to mention he is also a very careful person when it comes to making decisions. Definitely not a rash person. I don’t think I would boo him, but I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be frustrated with him.
It really has nothing to do with Rodgers,
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The fans booing him can be justified for 3 reasons…1) They found out about it early before he could speak on it in person in a presser (mistake). 2) Fans cheer or they boo….it’s what they do. 3) The timing was suspect at best. When it was announced that he was retiring, my first reaction was…why now? 12 days before the regular season?
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So the only questions left was “why and whose to blame i guess. His reasoning is that he’s gone through years of being in pain and rehabbing. That he just wasn’t having any fun anymore and his heart isn’t in it. I think that should be respected.
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Without getting into detail and turning this into a novel, my opinion is…the Colts team didn’t do enough to protect him and he stood back there while getting his ass beat for years. The team is apparently letting him keep 24 million that the team has a right in getting back. My feeling is that might be because the team realizes they share the blame and maybe because Luck is a stand up guy and they are doing it as a sign of respect. Most likely, it’s a combination of both.
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I wasn’t a huge fan of Luck, but i have no dislike for him whatsoever, and by all accounts he’s a stand up guy…in the lines of Jordy Nelson.
I think the butt hurt owner irsay leaked it.
This wasn’t a spur of the moment decision for him. There are hints that Irsay had conversations with him already about talking him out of it so I believe he was likely honest with his ownership about how he’d been feeling. Now, how long ago did this maybe start and how serious was the conversation? Was there enough of a feeling that he would do it and if so, what would be plan B? Early enough in the year and it allows for drafting or trading for someone who may be more effective than their current back up. That would be a frustrating aspect for fans to deal with. The Colts were a likely playoff contender with a healthy Luck, not so much now.
He gave his all and got pretty banged up for the Colts. In the end it is his life and I think we might see a bit more of this going into the future with CTE and other longevity concerns. This is not the old generation of players some of us grew up watching and we know more now than we used to. This has also happened in NASCAR with Carl Edwards, Dale Jr., and some others who maybe had good money making seasons ahead and balanced risk and reward. Luck is wrecked, and maybe clinically depressed. I’m sure many of those who boo’ed now wish they hadn’t if they thought all this through, but they were likely getting half-@ssed drunk at a game. Emotional reactions not fueled by reason, monkey see monkey do crowd, and it turns out to be classless.
After being pretty badly concussed about 6 years ago, I have much more empathy for these players. I had after effects and vertigo attacks for over year after. Guys like Andrew Luck have rehabbed from far worse and he’s only 29.
So, whatta ya think, maybe they could use Deshone Kizer?
Thoughtful and measured posting Mitch Anthony. Are you truly sure you are a Packers fan? You don’t seem like the type.
There are a couple of positives out of Luck’s retirement. He is still a young guy, and as far as I know he hasn’t had many concussions. The other injuries will heal if given a break from the NFL. And he has plenty of cash to pay for the best treatment if they don’t heal on their own. As far as I know, he said all the right things and doesn’t seem like an entitled prick. I enjoyed watching him play, and can say that I’ve seen his whole career develop before my eyes. Nothing but the best wishes to this guy.
On top of that, his retirement opens a position for all those current backups and unemployed QBs. As someone above pointed out, Kizer has to be licking his chops. It’s his chance to come out from Rodgers’ shadow.
MJ is absolutely correct,,,,
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Luck is 29 years old, has banked around the 90 million mark, some of which he’ll probably put to good use and for good causes that actually help people. Not a bad start to the rest of his life approaching 30 years old. I see Luck doing things to help and improve people’s lives, giving back. I don’t think any kneeling will be involved.
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Also….i suspect Irsay may go deep to sign both Kizer and Hundley. I think it’s about damn time that Hundley get’s a real chance to get his HOF career off the ground instead of being held back by guys like Rodgers and Wilson.
You start out classy but then revert back to form.
First, you make a reference to “kneeling” which seems to be an attack on those who took a knee during national anthems in order to bring attention to racial inequality and police misuse of force. Apparently you are a fan of racial inequality and police misuse of force. A few things here. Keep in mind those players have a lot more guts than you. Second, it was never about disrespecting the flag or America or veterans as racists were so eager to try to twist it into. They did their best and some of the least intelligent people even believed them. (You go look in mirror) Also, keep in mind Kaepernick and others lost a ton of money. But, they still won. They did raise awareness effectively and they did cause the NFL to give 90 million to fund community outreach and anti-discrimination efforts.
Anywho, pretty twisted by you to use the retirement of a Colts QB to attack brave souls who sacrificed for the good of others.
Lastly, classic Packer fan attack on a former player. You done did revert to form!
Kaepernick got more money from Nike than he would have as a qb for his new brand. Kneeling on grass got people talking about kneeling on grass….90 million in community outreach will cause no change and you are touting a league that generates billions of annual revenue donating 90 mill dollars? That would be like me donating a dollar. They donated the money to get people to shut up about the whole thing not to actually solve anything.
Not true, Stiggy. The proof? Look at us STILL talking about racial inequality and excessive use of force by police. It takes many gallons of water to make a wave. Kaepernick much more than did his part. 90 million cannot solve an issue but it can make a difference. Just ask those in the neighborhoods where that money is spent. Oh, wait, you can’t. You won’t visit minority areas, will you?
How much of that money has been spent and where? Do some research instead of pretending like you actually know something.
I worked on the northwest side of Milwaukee for many years..and after spending 40 hours a week there for half a decade I would never visit that area again. But then again…when you are called white boy and have beer bottles thrown at your head by passing cars…or convicted felons trying to assault you during house calls you can certainly understand why I may not want to visit the largest and most accessible minority area in my viscinity.
90 million is nothing. And btw champ… the kneelers themselves are pissed about this initiative because they are smart enough to realize it’s exactly what I described.
Apparently you arent. Then again you live in a state that stands against the 1% (on Facebook at least) then proceed to elect the trust fund target heir as your governor.
I grew up just west of there Stig, in the Menomonee Falls area. There was a time back in the day when Northridge was the place to shop. Until the violence of the area got out of control and dictated otherwise.
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As far as the cause of the decay of the area, it wasn’t the visitors from the surburbs out west who caused the decay, it wasn’t the slave owners. It was the people who lived there. But lets give them some of that 90 million, that should “fix” everything.
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Money doesn’t just automatically fix things, it’s not about money, People have to want to help themselves, not kill, rape, rob and steal and shoot at each other. Sometimes people create their own (problems) situations, The wealthy, the NFL or the tax payers giving them money, solves not a damn thing.
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The 3 year old children being raised in those neighborhoods are being taught to hate cops, hate whitey, and they learn the lifestyle that their parents live. They don’t have much of a chance, and it’s cyclical in generation.
Nice, good comments. I also tend to think his retirement may set the stage for more future early retirements. Which seem to be sort of normal now (Gronkowski and Borland come to mind). I also wonder if could have an impact on the next CBA. I absolutely think there is a good shot we could go an entire season without football. Fully guaranteed contracts will likely come up. Marijuana testing. I have to think an 18 game season has to be off the table at this point. The physical demands of the sport are very real. The average career in the NFL is between 3-4 years, meaning a lot of players don’t see a second contract. The injury situation is a big part of this, teams are churning players through rehab as quick as possible trying to get them back to the field ASAP. At this point I think the NFL would benefit from expanded rosters. Carrying 2-3 extra offensive linemen is silly, this is where things get shitty for players having to play out of position, and potentially exposing others to injury. I really don’t want to see a Josh Sitton playing left tackle.
I’ve had a problem with that average….for decades. The only reason the average career is 3-4 years, is not because of career ending injuries, that average is skewed by so many players not skilled enough to stay in the NFL after their first year or two, if they even make it a year.
They should recalculate the numbers with players that actually get through their rookie contract, Not include players that last a month – 2 years. My guess is that average would go up to 7-10 years.
Gentlemen (I use the term very loosely), here is an update on Aaron Rodgers arch-enemy, he-who-dare-make-legal-hit on Aaron. Also known as he-who-dare-make-gesture-at-Aaron-when-Aaron-cuss-at-him.
https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/2019/08/27/2-vikings-make-pffs-preseason-week-3-team-of-the-week/
Get a hobby…try to make a friend,…do some volunteer work somewhere…..please.
“I’m ready to be great right now.” – Rashan Gary
But can’t even get noticed or get his named called in pre-season against 2nd and 3rd stringers and future walmart shelf stockers.
Sorry…i’m just thinking out loud.