Embarking on a revenge tour across the border, the former Packers Pro Bowl running back signed a one-year deal with the Vikings after Green Bay released him in March.
Jones was the engine for the Vikings’ 28-6 win over the New York Giants in Week 1, rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for 6.7 yards a clip. He also had two catches for 15 yards.
Meanwhile, the Packers are reeling after a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that saw quarterback Jordan Love exit the game with a sprained MCL.
The border rivals meet in Week 4, at Green Bay on September 29; and Week 17 on December 29 in Minnesota.
“This guy doesn’t represent Wisconsin or packers fans Aaron,” one fan wrote. “I appreciate you and you are still my daughter’s favorite Packer even if you are a Vikings [sic] now. God bless.”
Embarking on a revenge tour across the border, the former Packers Pro Bowl running back signed a one-year deal with the Vikings after Green Bay released him in March.
Jones was the engine for the Vikings’ 28-6 win over the New York Giants in Week 1, rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for 6.7 yards a clip. He also had two catches for 15 yards.
Meanwhile, the Packers are reeling after a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that saw quarterback Jordan Love exit the game with a sprained MCL.
The border rivals meet in Week 4, at Green Bay on September 29; and Week 17 on December 29 in Minnesota.
Aaron Jones Excited for Vikings Home Opener vs. 49ers
The Vikings face arguably their biggest challenge of the season in the San Francisco 49ers this week, and it’s one that Jones meets with excitement.
“They’re the standard, they’re the defending conference champs, so that’s the standard, that’s where every other team in this league is trying to get to,” Jones said in a September 11 news conference, per NFL.com. “So, I like to give them their respect.”
Jones, who turns 30 in December, has touted that he aims for this season to be his best yet, bucking the trend of over-the-hill running backs regressing after turning 30.
Jones played 30 snaps against the Giants compared to 19 for Ty Chandler, but when the game was looking decided, Kevin O’Connell called off backup Myles Gaskin from going in to give Jones a shot of eclipsing the 100-rushing yards mark.
“I really respect Kev for that,” Jones said. “He left me in there. I seen Myles about to run in. It was kind of special to me. The players know coach, they know KOC, because they see Myles about to come in and then he stops and goes back off the field and they look at me and they’re like, ‘You must be close to a hundred, he’s gonna let you get hundred.’ ”
Jones added that O’Connell’s gesture is uncommon in the NFL and that he’s excited for more opportunities throughout this season.
But next up for Jones is to be on the home sideline at U.S. Bank Stadium to witness the SKOL chant, which he called “contagious” even when he was on the other side of the field.
Aaron Jones Setting the Table to Retire With Vikings
While Jones is entering the twilight of his career, Minnesota could be his final home, KSTP’s Darren Wolfson says.
“Speaking up about the SKOL chant, being as engaging as he is… I think he’s doing everything in his power to think ‘I can be here beyond one season. That this can be my final home,’ ” Wolfson said on a September 12 episode of SKOR North’s “Mackey and Judd” podcast. “The way he operates the way he carries himself, I think he wants to be here.”
If Week 1 is any indication, Jones is setting himself up for one more multi-year contract in the league when he reaches free agency next offseason, but the Vikings have proven fickle about paying a veteran running back after letting Dalvin Cook go in 2023.
However, if Jones and the Vikings can find the right price for both sides, Jones could see himself retiring in purple and gold.
