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James Jones is a warrior. We've known this since he returned early from the knee-ligament sprain that knocked him out of the Ravens game. What we didn't know is he played through an even more painful injury late in the year.
According to Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Jones played through broken ribs for the final three games of the year.
James Jones told me he has been playing with broken ribs since Pittsburgh game. More on blog soon... #Packers http://t.co/BiboAwXgTW
— Lori Nickel (@LoriNickel) January 7, 2014
Jones didn't have his best performances down the stretch, so the fact he was playing through such debilitating pain did seem to affect him. Even so, Jones made some key catches and continued to fight for yards after the catch, a testament to his toughness. Had Jones not played through the injury, the seldom-used Chris Harper would have assumed a major role in the offense. Needless to say, the Packers are happy Jones found a way to suit up.
Jones just completed the final season of a three-year deal he signed following the Packers' last Super Bowl victory. The emergence of Jarrett Boykin may convince the front office to let Jones walk. At the same time, Jones doesn't see himself as "one of those guys who sits at home and says I'm worth $30-40 million," so perhaps there's a price both sides could accept.
