The Minnesota Vikings took care of a big hole on their roster on Saturday. Heading into the 2025 NFL season, the team didn't have a starting caliber running back on their roster to handle a bulk of the carries.
Minnesota changed that when Adam Schefter announced on X that the Vikings are bringing Aaron Jones back, Fans can bust out their purple sombreros now that the veteran rusher will be back in a purple and gold jersey.
Minnesota Vikings re-sign running back Aaron Jones
Schefter announced that the contract is a two-year deal worth $20 million with $13 million guaranteed. This is a raise from his $7 million salary in 2024, but makes sense with the raise in the teams' salary caps and rise of the running back position.
The 30-year-old running back ran for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns on 255 attempts last season while adding 51 catches for 408 yards and two more scores while playing in all 17 regular season games for Minnesota.
The Vikings could still look to pair Jones with another running back to lighten the load for him a little. Minnesota needs to prepare for the future as well as have a solid backup/rotational rusher for 2025 and beyond.
Re-signing Aaron Jones also allows the Vikings more flexibility with the remainder of their salary cap space and draft picks. Building a compete roster is a challenge for NFL teams, but Jones is a solid piece who can be trusted to produce when healthy.
Minnesota's offense will look different in 2025 with Sam Darnold not expected to return. Instead, Vikings fans will likely get their first regular season look at J.J. McCarthy, who will have a reliable running back in the backfield.
There are still some needs on the roster for the Minnesota Vikings. Expect the team to be active in looking for help in the defensive secondary and in the trenches if they hope to be competitive in a highly talented NFC North.
Jones and the Vikings had previously expressed mutual interest in getting a contract extension done, so it's great the two sides were able to come together to get a deal done that seems good for both parties.
It will be great to see Aaron Jones back in a Minnesota Vikings jersey in 2025. Hopefully he can have another great season and continue to run the ball well,
