The Minnesota Vikings have a value judgement to make on running back Aaron Jones in the coming months.
Jones is a dual-threat playmaker who excelled on the ground and through the air for Minnesota last season on the team’s way to a 14-3 record. However, he was playing on just a one-year deal worth $7 million and is now on the wrong side of 30 years old.
This offseason is probably Jones’ best chance at one more significant multiyear payday given the current market for backs around the NFL, so testing the free agent waters makes complete sense for him. The Vikings will have to decide at what price point it makes sense to compete for Jones’s services, and at what figure they must look toward a different solution.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report on Monday, January 27, projected a three-year contract for Jones at a value of $21 million total. That is the type of contract Minnesota would likely front load to make moving on from Jones in 2026 easier and render such a move more or less a financial afterthought in 2027, when Jones will be 33 and playing his 11th professional campaign.
However, the Chicago Bears have the money to pay Jones in similar fashion should they so choose.
“New Bears head coach Ben Johnson knows exactly what Jones can offer after repeatedly facing him as the Detroit Lions‘ offensive coordinator,” Knox wrote. “Johnson could also be interested in pairing D’Andre Swift with a back like Jones to form a talented duo like the one he had with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit.”
Aaron Jones Showed Out in Initial Year With Vikings
GettyRunning back Aaron Jones of the Minnesota Vikings.
Knox’s projection is vastly larger than of Spotrac for Jones’s next deal.
The website’s calculations place his value at $5.6 million on just a one-year contract, though his performance in 2024 argues against the running back accepting that kind of agreement without a thorough examination of the market first.
Jones finished the 2024 campaign with 1,138 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns as well as 51 receptions for 408 yards and 2 scores. He did battle injury to some degree, which has been an ongoing concern over the past several years, though Jones appeared in all 17 regular season games and in the playoffs during his first campaign in Minnesota.
Bears, Vikings Have Compelling Cases to Sign Aaron Jones
GettyRunning back Aaron Jones of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota has the necessary salary cap space to pay Jones on a new deal, with nearly $64 million at its disposal as of Monday. Chicago can do the same, with more than $69 million in space of its own.
The questions are which team needs Jones more, which team can afford to put that kind of money into its running back room, and whether Jones will fall off the performance cliff that so many rushers do at roughly his age?
Chicago’s investment in Swift argues against the team spending more at running back this offseason, as does the overwhelming need to revamp the offensive line and add another quality pass rusher or two.
Minnesota’s argument for spending on Jones is better, as he was a valued member of a successful offense there last season and the team has no heavy investment in any other running back. That said, the Vikings are candidates to potentially look at a rusher in the late first round who could replace Jones with fresher legs on a cheaper deal.
In the end, it may come down to how the Vikings value their late first-rounder against what will be multiple needs in the secondary against a singular, yet significant, need in the offensive backfield.
Most of the newest mock drafts suggest Minnesota will pursue a cornerback or safety with the 24th overall pick, as the team is in danger of losing all five of its starters (three CBs and two safeties) across those spots to either free agency or retirement. Should the Vikings go with a defensive back in the first round, the likelihood increases that Jones will be back in Minneapolis next season.
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Aaron Jones Tied to Vikings’ Heated Rival, Potential $21 Million Deal