New Viking Gets “X-Factor” Treatment from ESPN

Dustin Baker |

Aug 19, 2024

Once and for all, after two years of visible struggles, the Minnesota Vikings will hope to fix their rushing attack when the regular season kicks off in 20 days.

New Viking Gets “X-Factor” Treatment from ESPN

Leading the way at RB1 is Aaron Jones, a defector from the Green Bay Packers who joined Minnesota’s roster in March. His predecessor, Alexander Mattison, became a Las Vegas Raider and is on deck for RB2 or RB3 duty this season.

And according to ESPN, Jones is the Vikings’ “x-factor” player in 2024, the guy who might determine if the club is any good. ESPN defined an x-factor player or trait for each NFL team this week, and for Minnesota, it’s Jones, who will turn 30 in December.

“The Vikings signed Jones for two reasons. They wanted to elevate a rushing attack that has compiled the NFL’s fifth fewest yards since coach Kevin O’Connell was hired to start the 2022 season. They also hoped Jones could take pressure off whomever the team chooses to replace quarterback Kirk Cousins,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert explained.

Minnesota QB Sam Darnold and RB Aaron Jones addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center on Thursday, March 14th. Both players became Vikings after Alexander Mattison and Kirk Cousins left during the 2024 offseason.

Minnesota has finished 27th per rushing DVOA in back-to-back seasons since Kevin O’Connell took over as head coach two years ago. The franchise desperately needs to fix its ground game or risk never fully unlocking the offense.

Seifert added, “That will be veteran Sam Darnold, as rookie J.J. McCarthy will undergo surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee and miss the season. Vikings running backs have produced 939 receiving yards in the past two seasons, seventh worst in the NFL. Since entering the NFL in 2017, Jones has the ninth-most receptions by a running back in the league (272).”

Jones banked 889 yards from scrimmage in 2023 while playing 11 games. He scored 3 touchdowns and turned on the gas down the stretch of 2023 once he became fully healthy. The ex-Packer will partner with Ty Chandler for a decent RB1-RB2 duo this season and perhaps end the Vikings’ rushing woes.

On Christmas Eve 2023, Jones morphed into a cyborg after recovering from lingering injuries with these rushing-yard performances thereafter:

He parlayed that production into a one-year, $7 million with the Vikings — and is now evidently the team’s primary x-factor.

The Vikings’ regular season begins on September 8th at the New York Giants, where Jones will be on tap for the first several rushing attempts of the season. The aforementioned Chandler and Kene Nwangwu will likely serve as Jones’ backups.

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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.