Vikings Sign Aaron Jones
Syndication: PackersNews
Aaron Jones got released by the Green Bay Packers on Monday, but luckily, he doesn’t have to move very far. The Minnesota Vikings followed up a busy Monday by agreeing to terms with the rival running back, bringing Jones to the familiar grounds of U.S. Bank Stadium on a one-year, $7 million deal.
For Minnesota, this was an opportunity to shore up an area of weakness from last season. After cutting ties with Dalvin Cook prior to last season, the 2024 Vikings relied on a tandem of Alexander Madison and Ty Chandler. Neither running back impressed. Mattison ran for just 700 yards over 16 games, scoring zero touchdowns on the ground, while Chandler had 461 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Overall, the Vikings finished the year averaging 91.4 rushing yards, 29th in the NFL.
Jones should help with that. While the former Pro Bowler had just 656 yards on the ground last year, that production came in just 11 games. Had he stayed on the field, Jones would have been on pace to finish just over 1,000 yards. It would have been the fourth time in the past five years he exceeded that mark.
It’s also helpful that Jones is a credible threat in the passing game, as well. Over his 11 games, Jones caught 30 passes for 233 yards (7.8 yards per reception), giving him as many receptions and 41 more yards than Mattison had in 16 games last year. It also exceeded Chandler’s production through the air (21 receptions, 159 yards).
Age is going to be a concern with any running back entering his 30s, as Jones will be doing in December. It’s true that he’s also not the scoring machine he used to be, with 10 touchdowns over the past two years, as opposed to the 53 in his first five NFL seasons. But Minnesota doesn’t need Jones to be great – just a step up from what they had. As long as he doesn’t fall off the table, they should have a new level of competency at running back.
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