Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones has a bold goal for how much longer he will play in the NFL. He spoke with Ian Rapoport on “Training Camp Live” on Wednesday and set a goal for himself as to when he would retire.
Jones is coming off a 2025 season that saw him record 132 carries for 548 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry. Those numbers were respectable, especially considering he had an injury-shortened season last year. The playmaker also proved that he could catch the ball out of the backfield, as he recorded 28 receptions for 199 yards and a touchdown on 37 targets. Perhaps most impressive was that he averaged 7.1 yards per reception.
Vikings Star Wants Long Career
For now, he is focused on not only the 2026 season, but his future as well. He gave an estimate as to how much longer he would like to play.
“I feel absolutely amazing. I say age is just a number. It depends on which timeline you’re on. You know, if you’re in a different part of the world, it’s a different year. I might be 24 somewhere else, so. Feel great. I feel like I could play another six to eight. Hopefully 10, 10 more. Get to 40? That’d be amazing. But no, I still feel good. And I still got that hunger. I wanna win a championship. It’s a lot of things that I still wanna do, and I feel like, as a player, I still have room to grow.
I’ve hit my prime, but I’m not all the way there. Like, I can, there’s still levels, more levels that I can reach. And just staying hungry and never satisfied, you know? And then, getting to go in there every day with those guys in that locker room is a blessing that I don’t take for granted. Million people would be willing to trade places with me, you know? So I don’t take any of those days for granted, and each year I get a little more and more gratitude towards it.”
Vikings RB Switched Sides In Free Agency
Jones signed a one-year $7 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 free agency. This came after seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
He immediately made an impact, starting in all 17 games. He registered career highs in total touches with 306 and rushing attempts with 255. Those ample production opportunities also translated well statistically. He became only the third running back in Vikings history to have 1,000 rushing yards in his first season with the team. He was also able to eclipse 7,000 career rushing yards on the season.
2025 was a bit more difficult for Jones, as he suffered an injury setback. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2, and that forced him to miss five total games. However, he was extremely productive upon his return. He had 548 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.
Jones should still be a major part of the Vikings’ offensive backfield. He took a pay cut this offseason to stay with the team and looks to be a valuable veteran for this offense this fall. The Vikings have made it clear that they want to involve the run game more in this offense. They have a plan to do so, and it seems like they have a system in place.
Despite injuries, Jones should very much be the leader of the running back room. He has the talent, he has the skill set, and he definitely has the hunger. Playing for five or 10 more years might seem a bit ambitious, but it certainly is a good goal to have. At the very least, the Vikings would have a measure of stability if Jones decided to go that route.
Vikings Superstar Just Made His Long-Term NFL Plans Very Clear