Beloved Newcomer Wants to Retire with Vikings
Aaron Jones does not want to leave.
Beloved Newcomer Wants to Retire with Vikings
The veteran tailback joined the Minnesota Vikings’ roster via free agency last March and has enjoyed himself so much that he hopes to retire a Viking.
“This is an excellent place. This is where I hope to finish my career,” Jones told the Pioneer Press this week.
Jones has broken off a productive first season in purple, tallying 1,471 yards from scrimmage and 7 touchdowns. The man he directly replaced, Alexander Mattison, totaled 892 yards from scrimmage and 3 touchdowns last season.
Pioneer Press‘ Dane Mizutani also asked Jones if he was proud of playing every Vikings game this season. Jones noted, “Oh, definitely. I missed a handful of games and played through injuries as well, and with that, I guess the narrative got out that I was injury prone. It’ ’s been nice to slash that narrative and throw it out the window. The guys know whatever I go through throughout the week I’m going to be ready.”
The Vikings possess a marvelous 14-2 record through 17 weeks, with sights set on Detroit this Sunday night for all the regular season marbles, taking on the Lions for the NFC North crown, the NFC’s No. 1 seed, and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. It’s arguably the most important regular season game in franchise history.
A few weeks ago, The Athletic defined a “breakout” player for each NFL team, and Jones got the nod for Minnesota. “Calling the eighth-year pro a breakout player is stretching the term, but the impact players in Minnesota are all known names, and Jones has added an element to his game this season,” Josh Kendall wrote last month. “He has 37 catches for 302 yards to go with 893 rushing yards, already his second-best total since 2020. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry against the Falcons on Sunday.”
Whether Jones realistically finishes his career in Minnesota is up for debate. He’s 30, meaning he probably has 2-3 seasons remaining. He’ll be a free agent in March, and the Vikings could re-sign Jones while drafting a rookie heir apparent RB. The first-year experiment with Jones has not disappointed, but at the age of 30, he probably won’t improve. The Vikings might opt to have it both ways next season, re-upping with Jones and drafting a rookie runner.
Minnesota ranks 20th per rushing DVOA this season, up seven spots from 27th in 2023.
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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