The Minnesota Vikings were busy this offseason. Their goal to get the roster ready for the upcoming 2025 NFL season was headlined by the situation at quarterback and the team building up their offensive and defensive lines.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made the bold decision to let Sam Darnold leave in free agency and go all in on J.J. McCarthy to be their starting quarterback. Rumors were also abundant in the media about the possibility of signing a veteran like Aaron Rodgers.
Signings of players like Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave showed Minnesota's dedication to building up the trenches and those moves were backed up by using their first-round draft pick on offensive lineman Donovan Jackson.
The Minnesota Vikings nailed the running back situation this offseason
Beefing up the offensive line will help new quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but should also help a run game that was solid last year. Running back Aaron Jones was brought back on a two-year deal worth $20 million.
In 2024, Jones played his eighth season as a pro and played in all 17 regular season games for Minnesota. He accumulated 1,138 rushing yards, 408 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns on 306 touches.
Jones has an extensive injury history, but played through his ailments last season to be a reliable part of the Vikings' offense. Now, they added Jordan Mason in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers to act as his backup and take some pressure off their starting running back.
At a time when the Vikings are transitioning to a new quarterback and making some adjustments to the defensive secondary, it would have been challenging to add finding a new starting caliber running back to take over in 2025.
By bringing back Aaron Jones and using a late-round draft pick to trade for Jordan Mason, Minnesota allowed itself to focus on other areas of the roster. Plus, Jones is still 30 years old and pairing him with 26-year-old Mason should give the team a nice one-two punch this season.
Jones has been a vocal supporter of the Vikings and seemed elated to return to Minnesota. It is always great to have a player in the locker room who is passionate about the team and being great. And while other areas of the team will get a lot of attention this offseason, the running back position should not be ignored.