The Sky Is the Limit for Newcomer Viking
Aaron Jones will turn 30 in December, but the man still believes his prime years are ahead.
The Sky Is the Limit for Newcomer Viking
The Minnesota Vikings added Jones in March, the team’s keynote free-agent additional at running back. After back-to-back seasons of rushing woes, Jones is the number-one-with-a-bullet fix, at least on paper.
And the man is confident about the fit in Minnesota.
“I feel like every year, I’m getting better and better, and last year I felt like I was just about to start entering my prime … Those last five kind of showed, like, hey, the game’s slowing down a little more and more for me,” Jones said this week about career profile.
Jones banked 889 yards from scrimmage in 2023 for the Green Bay Packers 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.
Jones continued, “I can see different things, and I’m able to hit different holes or set dudes up the way I want to, versus maybe before I hadn’t been able to because the game was still a little fast.”
On Christmas Eve 2023, Jones morphed into a cyborg after recovering from lingering injuries with these rushing-yard performances thereafter:
- 127
- 120
- 111
- 118
- 108
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.
Meanwhile, the enthusiasm for Jones this summer isn’t new. Last month, ESPN labeled Jones as an “x-factor” player for the 2024 team. “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.
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).”
Vikings fans are not accustomed to poor running back play — Adrian Peterson and Dalvin Cook held down the fort from 2007 to 2022. They’ll hope Jones makes good on his declaration this weekend when the purple team kicks off the regular season at the New York Giants.
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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.
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