The Aaron Jones era with the Minnesota Vikings is coming to an end.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday the Vikings told Jones that unless they find a trade partner, the team will release him. The Vikings plan to cut Jones before the start of the new league year, which is March 11.
Schefter added with the release, the Vikings will save $7.75 million against the salary cap.
Jones’ release will save the Vikings $7.75 million against the cap, Hargrave’s $10.9 million.
The decision doesn’t come as a major surprise. According to Spotrac, Jones was set to have the third-highest cap hit for any running back in 2026.
Jones has one year remaining on the 2-year, $20 million contract he signed with the Vikings. That contract made his 2026 cap hit $14.55 million.
Minnesota has the second-least amount of cap space as of March 1. So, pundits expect the team to release several players to create more cap room.
As Schefter indicated, the Vikings also told defensive lineman Javon Hargrave they will release him, if not traded, before March 11.
In two seasons with the Vikings, Jones rushed for 1,686 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 79 passes for 607 yards and three scores.
In 2025, Jones ran for 548 yards with 199 receiving yards while playing in 12 games.
Vikings Plan to Release RB Aaron Jones: Report
The Jones release savings was small enough that it was worth wondering whether the Vikings should just keep the veteran running back this offseason. Still, no one is shocked by this release.
The Vikings now have a little more than a week to find a trade suitor. But given that teams know Jones is set to be available in free agency, the trade market for the running back is going to be low.
Jones had a very strong first season with the Vikings, posting 1,138 rushing yards with five touchdowns during 2024. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry on his way to a career-high in rushing.
That success led to the Vikings re-signing Jones on his 2-year extension.
But in September, Jones landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He missed five contests because of the ailment.
Then when he returned, he wasn’t as effective. The Vikings offense wasn’t the same either with J.J. McCarthy behind center.
Jones finished with under half as many rushing yards in 2025. His 132 carries was his fewest since his rookie 2017 campaign.
Vikings RB Depth Without Jones
With Jones sidelined for part of 2025, Jordan Mason took advantage of his opportunity. Mason led the Vikings with 758 rushing yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry.
Without Jones, Mason will be the clear RB1 on Minnesota’s depth chart entering free agency. It will be interesting to see if he stays there all offseason.
Mason has averaged 5.1 yards per attempt in his career. He’s also eclipsed the 750-yard mark each of the past two seasons.
But he’s never had more than 173 touches in an NFL campaign. As insurance, the Vikings probably have to add more running back depth even if they have confidence in Mason as a starter.
Veteran running back Ty Chandler is also a free agent for Minnesota. Chandler didn’t really play a role on offense last season anyway.
The other returning running back for the Vikings who did is Zavier Scott. At 26 years old, Scott made his NFL debut last season, running for 114 yards on 32 attempts.
Vikings Make Final 2026 Call on RB Aaron Jones: Report