You’ll Never Believe Who Wanted to Bench Aaron Jones
Tough love — that’s what Aaron Jones’ mother displayed for her son last weekend during his team’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.
You’ll Never Believe Who Wanted to Bench Aaron Jones
Jones and the Minnesota Vikings prevailed over the Cardinals by a point, but early in the contest, Jones fumbled twice and set a sorrowful tone for Week 13.
His struggles were so vivid that Jones’ mother, Vurgess Jones, told Aaron he should hit the bench, at least for a while.
“She said they needed to sit you down. She was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, but they need to take you out of the game. They need to bench him right now,'” Jones said Wednesday. “Anytime I hear from my mom, it’s going to be worse. I was like, ‘I gotta learn from it.’ and she said, ‘You didn’t learn from it last week?’ and I was like, ‘Damn, mom…’ I kind of didn’t know what to say, but it’s what I need.”
Jones, his teammate Cam Akers, and quarterback Sam Darnold each had 22 rushing yards, making the Vikings’ performance over Arizona their second-slimmest rushing output of the 2024 campaign. They won anyway.
“My mom, being hard on me, that was my dad for so many years. My dad’s not here so now my mom’s kind of took the role over without me asking her. So it’s kind of a little eye-opening when your dad is on you, and your mom is the one rubbing your back [telling you] it’s okay, and now it’s mom getting on you and not too many…nobody is back there saying it’s okay,” Jones explained.
Minnesota would never realistically bench Jones altogether — unless his troubles hit an unrepairable clip — though his workload visibly diminished for a while. In the end, Jones caught the game-winning touchdown pass from the aforementioned Darnold, creating some immediate redemption for the veteran running back.
It’s also worth noting that Jones’ fumble bug is new. His five fumbles in 2024 already match his season-high among any year in Green Bay, the team he played for from 2017 to 2023. In fact, Jones has been known for his ball security + dependability for eight seasons.
Thankfully, Jones will likely figure out the conundrum — that’s what premiere athletes do.
If he does not, his mom has already endorsed the strategy of getting him the hell off the field.
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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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