In order to avoid a release, veteran running back Aaron Jones agreed to a pay cut with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this year that lowered his base salary for the 2026 season from $9 million to $5.5 million.
At the time, it seemed like a fair reduction based on the decrease in production Jones had with the Vikings in 2025 compared to 2024. Now, the revised deal with the Pro Bowl running back looks even better for Minnesota thanks to a recent decision made by the New Orleans Saints.
On Thursday, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport revealed that the Saints and running back Alvin Kamara have reportedly agreed to some adjusted contract terms that will change what he earns for the 2026 season from $11 million to $6 million.
Given that Jones has outperformed Kamara during the last two years, Minnesota's agreement with its own veteran running back looks even better after this week's news.
Revised deal with Aaron Jones looks even better for Minnesota Vikings after reported New Orleans Saints re-worked contract with Alvin Kamara
It might not be surprising to Vikings fans, but to those who are more casual NFL fans, it's possibly a bit shocking to find out that Jones has outplayed Kamara in the last two seasons.
Just take a look at the numbers. First, let's compare the total stats of both running backs from the last two years.
Now, let's look at Jones' and Kamara's stats from last season only.
Even during what many would call a down year for Jones in 2025, he still outperformed Kamara in almost every notable statistical category.
Most would say that should mean that the Vikings running back should be the one making more money out of the two next season.
But perhaps New Orleans is just overpaying to keep Kamara around since they're also taking a gamble on Travis Etienne Jr. in their backfield, who signed with the Saints earlier this year after spending the last four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In the upcoming 2026 campaign, will Jones or Kamara prove they're worth even more than the pay cuts both agreed to this year? Time will tell, but if we're basing a guess on the last two seasons, Jones should be the favorite of the two to end up as the best bang for his team's buck.
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