Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones' performance this past season may have bought him not only more time in the NFL -- but Minnesota as well.
After Jones' surprising release from the Green Bay Packers last offseason, Minnesota moved fast to sign him in the first few days of free agency. Jones agreed to a one-year, $7 million contract that was fully guaranteed.
Jones sought to prove he's an exception to the running back regression trends over the years. Running backs tend to age out of the NFL faster than their positional counterparts, and for those who do see a prolonged playing career, their production tends to fall off a cliff at the age of 29.
Not Jones.
He handled the heaviest workload of his career last season, a career-high 306 touches. He rushed for 1,138 yards on 255 carries, also both career highs.
And most importantly, Jones did not miss a game for just the second time in his career despite turning 30 years old in December.
While Minnesota needs to find a running back for the future, the Vikings may not be done with Jones, a pending free agent, just yet.
ESPN's Field Yates reported on Feb. 15 that the Vikings and Jones "agreed to move the void date on his contract from this Monday (Feb. 17) until the final day before free agency."
"This expands the window for Jones and Minnesota to continue to negotiate a new deal that would avoid that amount hitting the cap in full for 2025," Yates added. "It doesn’t guarantee a new deal will be reached, but it buys time for both sides if there is interest in hammering one out before free agency."
Jones has said he hopes to finish his career in Minnesota, and Saturday's news is a development in the right direction for both sides. Had Jones' deadline not been extended, the Vikings would have taken on $3.2 million in dead cap, according to Yates.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell said he would love to have Jones back in 2025 while also developing the running back room to fit more of a committee approach next season.
“We loved having Aaron Jones,” O’Connell said on Sirius XM’s “Fantasy Sports Radio” on Feb. 7. “For the better part of his career, he had kind of been a part of backfield committees. And for the most part, it was Aaron Jones was the featured back. Played 17 games. He was able to be durable. Over 1500 yards all-purpose for us. Catching the ball out of the backfield, running it at an elite level. So, I would love to have Aaron back.
“Then I think we just continue to grow in that room, whether it’s infusing a young player in the draft or, maybe, another player in free agency alongside Aaron Jones. Hopefully, I think we’ll continue to grow, and our run game will continue to grow in being a complete offense, which is very important.”
Ty Chandler and Zavier Scott are the only two running backs currently under contract in Minnesota. Chandler started the year as RB2 behind Jones but lost his role to Cam Akers, who arrived at the trade deadline but is a pending free agent.
Jones is ranked the No. 1 free-agent running back by Pro Football Focus this upcoming offseason and is expected to garner plenty of interest this offseason.
