CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Last spring, James Jones felt like an afterthought in the Green Bay Packers' offense. Playing with a host of impact wide receivers, Jones felt like he didn't get any "respect" in Green Bay.
Following a season in which he set a career high with 14 touchdowns, Jones can't say that anymore. Around The League spoke with Jones on Tuesday at NFL Network studios, where we reminded him of his comments from last April. With Donald Driver retired and Greg Jennings likely a goner in free agency, we asked about his more central role in the offense.
"It's exciting because it means more opportunities," Jones said. "As long as we can stay healthy, it means more opportunities for me, Randall (Cobb) and Jordy (Nelson). When you lose playmakers like Donald and if Greg doesn't sign back, that's two less guys we gotta give the ball to which means you're going to get a lot more action."
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Could Jones register 100 catches in 2013?
"I think a 100-catch receiver is gone out of our offense just because Aaron (Rodgers) spreads the ball around so much," he said. "If anybody had a shot to get 100 catches, I'd probably say Randall because he's in the slot and he'll probably get a lot more targets.
"I can see me, Jordy and Randall getting about 80 catches a piece. I can see us all having over 1,000 yards."
Entering his own contract year, Jones can make himself a lot of money if he can prove to be a consistent player in the Packers' attack. We know he's going to get his opportunities, something that couldn't be guaranteed in the past.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.