While the Minnesota Vikings still have two games to play to close out this disappointing 2025 season, the first of which could see them playing the spoiler role as they have a chance to officially knock the Detroit Lions out of the playoff race on Christmas Day, the front office is undoubtedly already putting plenty of focus on the upcoming offseason.
And general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah certainly has a plethora of big decisions to make, as Minnesota is currently projected to be more than $35 million over the 2026 salary cap. Tack on the projected money for next April's draft picks, and that figure rises to more than $50 million in the hole. So, cuts are undoubtedly on the way.
And one could easily assume that running back Aaron Jones is among the many cut candidates the Vikings are considering right now.
Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones carries cap hit of $14 million for the 2026 season
As it stands now, Jones is set to have a cap hit of $14 million in 2026, which represents the fourth-highest figure among running backs, trailing only the New Orleans Saints' Alvin Kamara ($18,571,471), the Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor ($15,562,000), and the Green Bay Packers' Josh Jacobs ($14,625,000).
With all due respect, that's not ideal for a guy who turned 31 on December 2 and has been nowhere near as productive as he was a season ago.
To his credit, of course, Jones far exceeded expectations in 2024 after the Vikings opted to part ways with Alexander Mattison.
Playing on a one-year, $7 million deal, the former Green Bay Packer rushed for a career-high 1,138 yards and five touchdowns and added another 408 yards and two scores on 51 receptions in helping Minnesota to a 14-3 regular-season record, a campaign that earned him a new two-year, $20 million contract this past offseason that included $13 million in guaranteed money.
The issue with the contract is that the bulk of the money was backloaded, hence the $14 million cap hit in 2026. And again, that's just not ideal for a running back who currently has 495 rushing yards and 189 receiving yards.
Yes, Jones missed four games after being placed on injured reserve early in the season with a hamstring injury and has been dealing with shoulder injuries for more than a month now.
But injuries obviously don't help his case, nor does the fact that Jordan Mason, who leads the team in rushing with 664 yards, has averaged more yards per carry (4.6 to Jones' 4.3), and leads the Vikings in total touchdowns with six, carries a cap hit of just $5.8 million next season. Mason will also be just 27 years old at the start of the 2026 season.
Now, Mason isn't the dual threat that Jones is, as he's tallied just 51 yards on 14 receptions. But there will be plenty of solid all-around running backs in the middle rounds of the 2026 draft that Minnesota could pair with Mason.
If the Vikings can get Jones to take a massive pay cut, he's certainly worth keeping around. But yet again, $14 million is just too much of a hit to take at this point for an aging running back on the decline.
Yes, Minnesota would take on $6.8 million in dead money by cutting him. But they'd also save $7.2 million on the 2026 cap. And if they can find a trade partner, that would be even better, as they would take on just $4.8 million in dead money and save $9.2 million.
Either way, these last two games of the 2025 season could very well be the last two Jones plays in a Vikings uniform.