The Minnesota Vikings have solid one-two punch at running back, when fully healthy, with Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones Sr. But neither player is under contract beyond this season, nor is either necessarily a longterm solution at the position.
Mason is one-dimensional rusher, while Jones is in his 10th professional season and turns 32 years old in December. Thus, the Vikings are a sensible candidate to trade for a running back ahead of the NFL’s November 10 deadline.
And given the context of the position in Minnesota, the Vikings profile better as a team that could trade for a younger option under contract for multiple years beyond 2026.
Enter Omarion Hampton of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Chargers RB Omarion Hampton Could Provide Vikings With Longterm Answer at Running Back
The Chargers are winless through five weeks and will probably decide to sell ahead of the deadline, to at least some degree.
Hampton, a former first-round pick in 2025 (No. 22 overall) out of North Carolina, is just 23 years old and under contract through at least this season and two more full campaigns on his four-year, $18 million rookie deal. Whichever team employs him in May of 2028 will also have a fifth-year option on Hampton’s contract for the 2029 season.
Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports posted on X about the possibility of the Vikings making a deal for Hampton in the coming weeks.
“Omarion Hampton would rule with the Vikings when they run gap scheme stuff, but the Chargers would be foolish to move on from him in year two,” Forness wrote on Monday, October 12.
Omarion Hampton Might Prove too Expensive for Vikings if RB Hits Trade Market
Hampton entered the league with decent buzz and big expectations. However, he has not lived up to the billing just yet.
He played in just nine games as a rookie, starting six of those, due to injury issues. Hampton logged 124 carries for 545 yards and four TDs last season, along with 32 receptions for 192 yards and one score.
Hampton has tallied 73 carries for 271 yards (3.7 yards per carry) and three touchdowns across five games this year, including four starts. He has also made five catches for 35 yards.
Los Angeles is in the midst of a tumultuous season under first-year offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who the league at large regards as one of the sharper run designers in the modern game. However, his lack of success in L.A. to this point, including what some analysts regard as a poor fit with Hampton, has put McDaniel’s job in question.
If the Chargers aren’t interested in moving on from McDaniel this year or during the coming offseason, Hampton could become a legitimate candidate for the trade block. That said, the Vikings probably could not acquire him for less than a Day 2 draft pick, which is a steep price for a running back who has yet to truly prove himself at the NFL level.
Vikings Urged to Trade for $18 Million RB to Succeed Jones, Mason