The Vikings’ 5 Options at RB in 2025
The Minnesota Vikings ranked 20th per rushing DVOA in 2024, an improvement from 2022 and 2023, but still need more oomph.
Vikings RBs: The 5 Options in the 2025 Offseason
Head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense can fully cook when he produces a Top 12 or so ground game.
Aaron Jones performed quite well in 2024 as the Vikings’ keynote free-agent fix, but he’ll turn 31 next season. He may not get better. Now, on the cusp of an offseason when Minnesota must improve to stay near the top of the NFC North, free agency and the draft will be used to bolster the ground attack.
So, these are the Vikings’ five options, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most likely path).
5. Run It Back
Aaron Jones earned the most touches of his career in a single season at age 30 with the Vikings. And for the most part, he performed well.
Still, Minnesota’s ground game didn’t rank anywhere close to the NFL’s Top 10, so running it back with the same personnel doesn’t seem likely. It’s still an option, though — Jones, Cam Akers, and Ty Chandler in 2025.
4. Draft an RB to Pair with Cam Akers
Cam Akers will be a free agent again, but this time, Minnesota could re-sign him for cheap — instead of trading for him, which it has done in back-to-back seasons.
Then, in theory, it would pair Akers with one of these fancy rookie RBs:
- Omarion Hampton (North Carolina)
- TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State)
- Kaleb Johnson (Iowa)
- Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State)
- Cam Skattebo (Arizona State)
- Devin Neal (Kansas)
- Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
- Dylan Sampson (Tennessee)
3. Sign Free Agent RB — Draft None
If the Vikings prefer a merely veteran solution at halfback while saying goodbye to Jones, these are the free-agent candidates:
- Najee Harris
- J.K. Dobbins
- Javonte Williams
- Jaylen Warren
- Rico Dowdle
- Jordan Mason
2. Sign Free Agent RB + Draft One, Too
Here, the Vikings would sign a tailback like Javonte Williams while letting Aaron Jones leave in free agency.
The 2025 plan would be Williams (example), plus one of these rookies (the same as listed above):
- Omarion Hampton (North Carolina)
- TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State)
- Kaleb Johnson (Iowa)
- Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State)
- Cam Skattebo (Arizona State)
- Devin Neal (Kansas)
- Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
- Dylan Sampson (Tennessee)
So, for instance — Javonte Williams and Kaleb Johnson.
1. Re-Sign Aaron Jones + Draft an RB
The same strategy applies with this option but with Jones.
Minnesota would re-up with Jones for another year, making the 2025 RB platter: Aaron Jones + Quinshon Judkins.
It feels like the most probable outcome.
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 MIN 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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