The Minnesota Vikings unlocked a missing dimension in their offense in 2024, and the front office made a concerted effort to keep it that way this offseason.
Veteran running back Aaron Jones was a game-changer for Kevin O’Connell’s offense, giving the team its first 1,000-yard rusher since Dalvin Cook in 2022. Jones also ranked fifth on the team with 51 receptions, making him a priority for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the front office in 2025 free agency.
Minnesota doubled down in mid-March with a trade for power running back Jordan Mason, forming a clear 1-2 punch in the backfield. That, paired with J.J. McCarthy’s added mobility at the quarterback spot and a beefed-up offensive line, had the Vikings looking like a force to be reckoned with on the ground this season.
Now halfway through the 2025 slate, that idea feels dead in the water. The Vikings enter Week 9 ranked 26th in the NFL in rushing.
Injuries to Jones, McCarthy, and just about every offensive lineman have definitely played a role in Minnesota’s struggles.
Still, aside from their blowout Week 3 win over the Bengals that was out of hand in the second quarter, the Vikings have surpassed 100 rushing yards as a team just once this season; they've gone four straight games without hitting the century mark, and both Jones and Mason were active for last week’s dismal 34-yard rushing performance against the Los Angeles Chargers.
With the NFL trade deadline looming on Tuesday evening, it could be time for the Vikings to cut their losses, especially if things continue to go south Sunday against the Lions at Ford Field.
ESPN names Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones as a cost-savings casualty at the NFL trade deadline
The Vikings re-upped Jones with a two-year contract worth $20 million this offseason. Per Spotrac, $13.5 million of Jones’ salary was fully guaranteed, including an $8M signing bonus in 2025.
That means the savings would be minimal if Minnesota moves the 30-year-old running back before the trade deadline. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently shared that he still sees the potential savings as a viable option for a franchise that committed close to $300 million on new player contracts this offseason.
“Moving on from Jones might be more about saving money than anything else. He is owed just over $1 million in 2025 and has $2 million of his $10 million compensation in 2026 guaranteed, a deal the Vikings are likely to move on from this offseason.
Would a team like the Chargers be willing to essentially pay $3 million to have Jones in its lineup for the rest of 2025? Pace, who has fallen out of the starting lineup and played just 17 defensive snaps over the past two weeks, is a restricted free agent after the season.”
Trading Jones at the deadline this year would be a white-flag move from the Vikings front office.
He hasn’t been the same weapon out of the backfield that he was in 2024, but even after missing four games with a hamstring injury, he still has more receiving yards than Mason on the year.
The Vikings could always turn to ol’ reliable and elevate Cam Akers off the practice squad; Akers always seems to be an option, no matter what year we’re living in.
Minnesota only has one chance to get back to 2024-level efficiency over the second half of the year, and that’s by McCarthy finding a groove and Jones returning to the dual-threat spark plug that gave defenses fits last year.