The Minnesota Vikings are expected to lean on their running game more this coming season, a reasonable shift given they are going with J.J. McCarthy as a first-year starting quarterback. But the Vikings also have Aaron Jones coming off a career year.
Jones, 30, rushed for a personal best 1,138 yards on 255 carries, adding 5 touchdowns on the ground and another 51-408-2 as a receiving threat out of the backfield.
However, his impact comes with a significant risk.
“Classic slasher,” an anonymous personnel director told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler in comments published on July 7. “Darts through run lanes. Plays big on the goal line. A dual threat. Love everything about him, but durability and age [30] are issues.”
Jones finished as an “honorable mention” for the top 10 running backs in ESPN’s poll of league personnel for the second straight season. He played in all 17 games in 2024, his second 17-game slate, and the third time he has played a full schedule in a single regular season.
Jones landed on the Vikings’ injury reports last season but, obviously, did not miss any time.
The Vikings, and Jones in particular, struggled to punch the ball into the end zone in short-yardage situations, per Sharp Football Analysis’ Warren Sharp on July 7, but Minnesota has a plan.
Vikings Looking to Complement Aaron Jones With Offseason Trade Pickup
GettyFormer San Francisco 49ers RB Jordan Mason #24 scores a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings have no plans to overuse Jones, who turns 31 in December and is entering his ninth NFL season. Head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke about using the 2019 Pro Bowler more judiciously next season amid hopes they would bring him back for the 2025 campaign.
“We loved having Aaron Jones,” O’Connell said on Sirius XM’s “Fantasy Sports Radio” in February. “For the better part of his career, he had kind of been a part of backfield committees. And for the most part, it was Aaron Jones was the featured back. Played 17 games. He was able to be durable. Over 1500 yards all-purpose for us. Catching the ball out of the backfield, running it at an elite level. So, I would love to have Aaron back.
“Then I think we just continue to grow in that room, whether it’s infusing a young player in the draft or, maybe, another player in free agency alongside Aaron Jones. Hopefully, I think we’ll continue to grow, and our run game will continue to grow in being a complete offense, which is very important.”
The Vikings set about doing that, acquiring Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers in a trade in March.
Mason, 26, tallied 789 yards and 3 TDs on 153 carries in 2024.
Like Jones, Mason carries some injury concerns. He missed one game as a rookie, then played in all 17 regular-season contests in 2023 before an ankle injury limited him to 12 games this past season. Notably, the 49ers did not fare much better than the Vikings, per Sharp.
The Vikings have 2022 fifth-round pick Ty Chandler behind Jones and Mason, though the team has seemingly gone out of its way to add depth ahead of him in the past two years.
Aaron Jones Lands on NFL Top 100 List
GettyAaron Jones #33 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons.
Jones landed the No. 98 slot on the NFL’s Top 100 Players list for 2025. Jones’ highlight package included commentary from current Vikings teammates Byron Murphy Jr., Justin Jefferson, and former teammate Camryn Bynum, now of the Indianapolis Colts.
Former Green Bay Packers teammate Jamaal Williams, who remains a free agent after spending the past two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, also weighed in.
Jones spoke to his versatility, saying, “There’s a lot of things that I feel like … I do well.”
The Vikings clearly felt similarly, re-signing Jones on a two-year, $20 million contract this offseason. He signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the team in free agency in 2024, speaking to the kind of impression he made to earn his raise and security.
Jones had one of 16 1,000-yard seasons and was one of 11 players with 1,500-plus yards from scrimmage in the league during the 2024 regular season with the Vikings.
He ranks sixth in total yards from scrimmage since the start of the 2018 season, per Stathead.
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