The Minnesota Vikings are almost guaranteed to add a new running back this offseason from free agency or the draft.
Kevin O’Connell Quietly Dropped New Clue about Vikings Offense
That’s the implication from head coach Kevin O’Connell, who discussed his team’s offseason plan earlier this month.
“The big thing for me is we loved having Aaron Jones, the impact he had. For the better part of his career, he had kind of been a part of backfield committees, but for the most part, Aaron Jones was the feature back in 2024,” O’Connell said to SiriusXM a couple of weeks ago.
“So, I would love to have Aaron back. And then 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.”
O’Connell offered a similar mission statement at the 2024 NFL Combine one year ago, claiming Minnesota would find a new tailback. The Vikings signed Aaron Jones a week and a half later.
Minnesota ranked 27th per rushing DVOA in 2022, 27th in 2023, and 20th in 2024. The unit improved in 2024 thanks to Jones’ workload and production, but the goal will be to climb into the Top 12 or so — not settle for 20th-best.
If O’Connell told the truth — he probably did — what are the Vikings’ running back options? Well, for starters, Jones may be back for Year No. 2. ESPN’s Field Yates tweeted nine days ago, “The Vikings and RB Aaron Jones agreed to move the void date on his contract from this Monday until the final day before free agency. If Jones had not been extended by Monday, the team would have taken on $3.2M in dead money in 2025. This expands the window for Jones and Minnesota to continue to negotiate a new deal that would avoid that amount hitting the cap in full for 2025.”
This is a hint that Jones will return.
Via free agency, the Vikings could explore these men if Jones doesn’t return or Minnesota doesn’t want a rookie:
- Aaron Jones
- Javonte Williams
- Najee Harris
- Jaylen Warren
- Rico Dowdle
- J.K. Dobbins
And from an unbelievably deep RB draft class:
- Omarion Hampton (North Carolina)
- Kaleb Johnson (Iowa)
- Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State)
- TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State)
- Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
- Devin Neal (Kansas)
- Dylan Sampson (Tennessee)
- Cam Skattebo (Arizona State)
Ordinarily, when O’Connell or his boss, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, drop a hint similar to the running back clue, they’re not utilizing misdirection. They typically tell the truth.
Therefore, with Jones perhaps on the way back, Minnesota will probably sign or draft a runner. O’Connell said so.
NFL free agency is two weeks away.
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.