The Minnesota Vikings are probably going to get running back Jordan Mason back after their bye this week in time to play against the Indianapolis Colts on October 25, but that is more of a stopgap solution for Minnesota’s run game rather than a longterm home run.
Aaron Jones Sr. has been a workhorse in the four weeks that Mason has missed, all wins for the Vikings, and fantastically productive across that stretch to boot — particularly considering this is his age-32 campaign and he’s missed meaningful time in two of the past three seasons with injury.
Minnesota tempted fate by leaning so heavily on Jones, and it paid off. But a reduced workload after a week of rest via Mason’s return does not change the ever-present risk Jones’ health poses, nor does it impact the fact that both Mason and Jones will be free agents next spring absent a contract extension before then.
All of this is to say that the Vikings remain strong candidates to trade for a running back ahead of the NFL’s November 10 deadline. A short-term depth play is the most likely outcome, and perhaps also the best solution.
That said, teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles changed their offensive fortunes meaningfully by adding RBs Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley, respectively, in 2024. Both of those players signed in free agency for top-of-the-market deals, which might be a path Minnesota can tread next offseason.
However, the defense and special teams units have Super Bowl fire right now, and the offense is trending up after a good game from Kyler Murray against New Orleans last week. Thus, if Minnesota has any chance at all to trade for a player like RB James Cook of the Buffalo Bills, it is worth some serious exploration.
James Cook Might Cost Vikings 1st-Rounder in Trade, if Bills Would Even Consider Dealing RB
Cook is one of the best backs in the league and on just the first season of a $46 million contract at age 27. The Bills rely heavily on their run game, which is a mixture of Cook and QB Josh Allen as essentially a two-headed backfield that is often on the gridiron together.
So no, the Bills probably aren’t looking to trade away their second-best offensive player. And if they would even consider it, the cost is going to be astronomical — probably a first-round pick in 2027, or a second-rounder next spring and another mid-round asset in 2027 or 2028.
But Cook leads the league in fumbles since the beginning of the 2025 campaign with 11 of them. He has put the football on the ground four times through five games this season, losing two of those, including one late to the Los Angeles Rams that almost cost the Bills a win on Monday Night Football last week.
Bills HC Joe Brady Called Out James Cook Over Fumbling Concerns After Defeating Rams on MNF
Bills head coach Joe Brady said flatly on Tuesday that while he still has faith in Cook, consequences for continued fumbling issues are not far off.
“Look, he’s doing so many good things running the football,” Brady said, according to ESPN. “But putting the ball on the ground, it’s negating all the positive. I have all the confidence in him. That’s why I put him right back out there. But obviously, at some point, there has to be consequences to when we’re putting negative stuff out there.
“It’s going to cost us football games. It almost cost us one,” Brady added. “We can’t confuse because we won the game that that’s OK. It’s got to improve or the carries are going to decrease.”
Minnesota entered 2026 with revamped run concepts and big plans for that facet of the offense. However, the team has realized only some of the progress it internally projected in the run game due to a variety of factors, including health and the play/availability of Murray.
The Vikings surely don’t want to add a fumble-happy running back to the offense on a longterm deal, but Cook is excellent in every other aspect.
He has been a Pro Bowler in each of the past three years and earned second-team All-Pro honors following a 2025 campaign in which he put up a league-leading 1,621 rushing yards and 12 TDs on 309 carries (5.2 yards per attempt) across 17 starts. He also caught 33 passes for 291 yards and two scores.
Vikings Trade Pitch Swings for Fences on All-Pro AFC Running Back