NFL Rumors: Aaron Jones to Sign Vikings Contract After Josh Jacobs Joins Packers
March 12, 2024
After spending the first seven years of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers, veteran running back Aaron Jones has reportedly found a new home with an NFC North rival.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Jones agreed to a one-year, $7 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old's time with the Packers ended when the team informed him of his release after it reached an agreement with free-agent running back Josh Jacobs on Monday.
Jones was limited to 11 games in 2023 due to a hamstring injury, but he still led the Packers with 656 rushing yards on 142 carries while adding two touchdowns. During Green Bay's playoff run, he totaled 226 yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries over two games before the Packers were eliminated in the NFC Divisional Round.
A fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft, Jones made an immediate impact and quickly emerged as the top option in the Green Bay backfield. He took over as the team's lead back in 2019 and recorded his first 1,000-yard season while tying for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns. He was selected to his lone Pro Bowl the following year, and in 2022 he recorded a career-high 1,121 rushing yards.
A fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft, Jones made an immediate impact and quickly emerged as the top option in the Green Bay backfield. He took over as the team's lead back in 2019 and recorded his first 1,000-yard season while tying for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns. He was selected to his lone Pro Bowl the following year, and in 2022 he recorded a career-high 1,121 rushing yards.
Jones gives the Vikings a reliable ball-carrier who can be a workhorse when healthy, which is something they sorely lacked last season after parting ways with Dalvin Cook.
Minnesota is undergoing a significant offensive overhaul this offseason, as it released running back Alexander Mattison and watched veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins agree to a deal with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday.
The Vikings agreed to a one-year, $10 million pact with quarterback Sam Darnold early Monday morning, per Rapoport, and if he ends up being the starter, he should have a strong running game to lean on with the addition of Jones.