Front office had to know Jones would move on.
Trains of thought after a furious first week of NFL free agency:
“Yeah, absolutely, we'd love to have Aaron back. We're still putting all those things together as we move forward, but he was such a difference maker when he was out there this year.....It's our anticipation that he'll be back.” -- Brian Gutekunst on Aaron Jones
The lesson to be learned here is always take what a head coach or general manager says in a news conference with a grain of salt.