Aaron Jones appears to have avoided a serious knee injury, but the Minnesota Vikings still have a perfectly good reason to investigate the running back trade market with Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts potentially available.
Jones was already playing through a sprained left MCL before another hit sent him to the medical tent during Sunday's 16-10 win over Indianapolis, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.
The 31-year-old had taken on an unusually large workload while Jordan Mason recovered from a fractured thumb, including 90 percent of Minnesota's running back carries during Mason's four-game absence.
Monday delivered encouraging news. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Jones is considered day-to-day, rather than facing a significant new injury. That changes the urgency but not the roster question.
Minnesota doesn't need Taylor because Jones went down Sunday. Minnesota can consider Taylor because Sunday's game showed exactly why relying on Jones and Mason to stay healthy through January carries risk.
Vikings have a Jonathan Taylor argument that goes beyond Aaron Jones' knee
Mason returned this week after missing four games and immediately gave Kevin O'Connell another dependable early-down option, rushing 15 times for 68 yards. Jones had carried the backfield without him, including four games with at least 20 touches.
That wasn't the original vision for this backfield. Minnesota acquired Mason to pair a younger, physical runner with Jones and reduce the burden on a veteran whose explosiveness remains valuable.
Preserving Jones for the games that will define Minnesota’s season matters more than asking him to keep absorbing 20-touch workloads now.
ESPN's Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter have identified Minnesota among the teams expected to consider a trade if Indianapolis decides to move him.
Taylor then ran for 95 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings on Sunday, providing a convenient demonstration of the tackle-breaking and home-run ability he'd add to O'Connell's offense.
The price still has to make sense. ESPN's Stephen Holder reports that a second-round pick could enter the conversation, and that's where Minnesota should become cautious.
Jonathan Taylor's price should decide how aggressive the Vikings get
Taylor isn't merely an expensive deadline addition in draft capital. His current deal includes cap charges of $21.02 million in 2027 and $22.98 million in 2028, which would force Minnesota to treat him as a major offensive investment rather than short-term injury insurance.
That makes a first-round pick an easy no. Even a second-rounder would be difficult to justify when Mason just returned and Jones may not miss a game.
Nolan Teasley's history with Colts personnel executive Ed Dodds does give Minnesota another reason to stay involved.
Both worked in Seattle, and Rapoport has specifically pointed to those organizational connections when discussing Taylor's potential destinations. Familiarity won't produce a giveaway, but it could keep Minnesota involved if Indianapolis becomes serious about moving him.
Jones' encouraging diagnosis removes the desperation from this discussion, which is exactly how the Vikings should want it. Taylor would be a luxury with legitimate football value, not an emergency patch, and Minnesota can walk away unless Indianapolis prices him accordingly.
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