The Minnesota Vikings now have to consider an offense largely absent starting running back Aaron Jones in 2025, as he currently resides on IR with a hamstring injury.
Minnesota planned well for this possibility by trading for Jordan Mason and then locking him into a two-year value contract at $10.5 million total. That has already paid dividends and will continue to do so, as Mason is a bruiser between the tackles and wears defenses down over the course of games.
But the Vikings‘ offense is without a dynamic running back who can catch passes regularly out of the backfield, which Mason has never done in his career, and which is important in an offense led by either second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy or veteran Carson Wentz.
McCarthy has played one quality quarter across two games, while Wentz is the type of signal-caller whom Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell must manage to limit reckless plays and the ensuing turnovers that inevitably follow — Wentz has thrown 67 interceptions in 99 career games played.
So despite Minnesota’s addition of Cam Akers and the elevation of Zavier Scott (undrafted in 2023) to RB2 after losing Jones, and after Ty Chandler also hit IR with a knee injury, the Vikings should be in the market for a change-of-pace back with edge speed who can also make plays in the pass game.
One potential option is Alvin Kamara of the winless New Orleans Saints, who could find himself on the trade block ahead of the NFL’s November 4 deadline.
Alvin Kamara No Longer Makes Sense as Part of Saints’ Timeline
GettyRunning back Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints.
Maurice Jones-Drew, a former star running back and current analyst for NFL.com, named Kamara among the five rushers that teams in need should pursue immediately.
“The 30-year-old still brings great value as a dual-threat running back who defenses must account for on every play,” Jones-Drew wrote Thursday, September 25. The Saints are in full rebuild mode — they could very well be in the quarterback market once again next offseason — and need as many assets as they can get. Kamara’s trade value might not be nearly as high as it once was, but by moving the experienced playmaker, New Orleans would pick up draft capital and free up some cap space.”
Kamara is currently playing on a two-year deal worth $24.5 million that keeps him under contract through the 2026 campaign.
Alvin Kamara Can Offer Vikings Precisely What Offense Needs
GettyNew Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara.
Kamara is a five-time Pro Bowler with nearly 7,000 rushing yards and more than 4,800 receiving yards over the course of his nine-year career. He has also found the end zone 86 times during that span.
He is off to a slower start this season, particularly as a pass-catcher, with just nine receptions for 47 yards. However, some of that is a function of how bad the Saints offense has been across the board.
For context, Kamara has averaged almost exactly 500 receiving yards over the previous three seasons (2022-24) along with just under 67 receptions — and that is despite missing an average of three contests per year. That is precisely the type of production the Vikings‘ need.
And even though Kamara has been explicit that he wants to finish his career in New Orleans as a one-team player, the prospect of joining the dynamic offensive attack of a potential contender like Minnesota may be the kind of situation for which Kamara is willing to make an exception.
Vikings Linked to Trade for $25 Million RB to Replace Aaron Jones