Packers' A.J. Dillon admits to playing with 'weight-on-the-shoulders' last season

Running back A.J. Dillon clearly wants to be with the Green Bay Packers for the duration of his NFL career.

He was taken by Green Bay with the 62nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and has been one part of a lethal two-headed monster in the Packers' backfield alongside home run-hitter Aaron Jones.

The only problem for Dillon? Last season's 770 yards and seven touchdowns were good, but he clearly wasn't running like the big, bruising, sledgehammer of a back that he can be. The 2023 season will also be the final year of his rookie deal, so there's a lot riding on his performance this year.

As a new father, Dillon admitted to Jason Wilde of The Wisconsin State Journal that he played with a heavy mind last season. 

“Honestly, I’ve never been the weight-on-the-shoulders guy, but last year, I was almost playing tight because I was thinking about (so much)," Dillon said.

“I wanted to put myself in the best position to get a contract. My wife was pregnant, first-time parent and I’m like, ‘Well, now I want to make sure we’re stable, we’ve got a place to live.’ Things like that. It wasn’t a bad year or anything like that, but it wasn’t the year I was hoping for last year. So, obviously, there’s things I need to work on. But the biggest thing for me is just the mentality of, ‘I’m going to go out there and I’m going to play free.’"

If Dillon can play "free", there's reason to believe that the post-Aaron Rodgers era will at least be interesting in Green Bay. Much of the Packers' success in 2023 and beyond will hinge on whether or not Jordan Love was the right successor to Rodgers. Much of Love's success in 2023 and beyond will hinge on having a strong running game behind him, though.

Head coach Matt LaFleur's system is run game-reliant, and Love has the athleticism and the arm to be dangerous in play-action scenarios if Dillon as well as Jones can lead the way — at least in 2023.
The good news for the Packers is that Dillon, for one, is willing to do anything possible to help the team.

“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," Dillon said.

“My biggest thing is having the mindset that I’m going to come in here and keep doing my thing. And when it’s time to go play ball, I’m going to go out there and play free and have fun — how I used to back in college, high school."