There’s an Aaron Jones Free Agent Hint
If nothing happens in the next seven days with a contract extension, Aaron Jones will hit free agency and be free to sign anywhere in the NFL.
There’s an Aaron Jones Free Agent Hint
The Minnesota Vikings running back performed wonderfully in 2024, especially during the first six games, and fans have wondered for seven weeks of the offseason if the veteran runner will return.
Well, thanks to some wording from Kevin O’Connell, Jones may be back indeed. The team’s skipper recently spoke with KFAN’s Paul Allen, and his verbiage appeared to insinuate a second act for Jones in the Twin Cities.
“He very rarely gets tackled on first contact, he very rarely doesn’t find the yards that are there for him. And we’ve gotta continue to do a better job [of] creating more yards for him,” O’Connell opined.
O’Connell spoke with present and future tense — we’ve gotta continue to do a better job of creating more yards for him. A head coach probably wouldn’t say that if his player was a goner, en route to free agency and on deck to sign with another team.
“First and foremost, he’s one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met in my NFL journey. Secondly, he is a very, very talented, great fit in our offense because of that skill set,” O’Connell also said about Jones.
Jones tabulated over 1,500 yards from scrimmage, one year removed from his former team, the Green Bay Packers. He played in every game last season despite one knock on his longstanding resume being injury history. The man was durable.
Last week, KSTP’s Darren Wolfson mentioned Jones’ offseason status with free agency around the bend. “Do they want him back? Absolutely they want him back. But at the same number he was making last year, I don’t think so. Is Denver willing to pay him, or someone else? If money matters most, I think Aaron’s gone,” Wolfson said on the Vikings Happy Hour podcast.
“If he’s willing to come back, and play on their terms, they want to lessen his workload. Whatever his touches was in 2024, that wouldn’t be his touches in 2025.”
Should Jones not return to Minnesota, the Vikings’ running back room looks bleak as of early March. Only Ty Chandler, the RB3 in 2024, and practice squader Zavier Scott are on the roster.
Minnesota is also expected to draft a rookie running back in April as this year’s crop is extraordinarily deep. Thirty running backs could be selected in seven rounds. Yes, 30.
And if one believes in O’Connell’s slip of the tongue, that rookie will likely pair with Jones in 2025.
Jones will turn 31 in December.
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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