As part of their effort to get under the salary cap, the Minnesota Vikings will be parting ways with running back Aaron Jones. That leaves Jordan Mason as their No. 1 running back, as should've been the case all season last season outside of the one game he missed.
But Mason has a notable shortcoming in his game. The Vikings, and the San Francisco 49ers before them, have been unwilling to use him as a pass catcher even when he has stepped into a big role.
A huge part of that is how bad he is as a pass blocker, with Pro Football Focus crediting him with 11 pressures allowed on 65 pass blocking snaps last season.
While Zavier Scott is an interesting player, he's not necessarily ideal to fully rely on as a passing-down back. So the Vikings should do something to add a more proven commodity there this offseason, albeit with limited resources to get it done.
Trade idea lands Minnesota Vikings an ideal backfield mate for Jordan Mason
In light of a notable signing in the first wave of free agency, speculation about the future of a prominent veteran running back elsewhere in the NFC has come back to the surface. That includes the potential retirement, and other teams wondering about his availability via trade.
Bleacher Report's Alex Kay recently took the latter idea and offered three top potential landing spots for that veteran back, with proposed trade packages to land him. The Vikings led the list.
"New Orleans Saints receive: 2026 sixth-round draft pick (No. 196)
Minnesota Vikings receive: RB Alvin Kamara
The Vikings are forging ahead without Aaron Jones Sr. in the mix, opting to release the back who served as the team's starter for the better part of the past two seasons. While the veteran was informed of his impending release earlier in the offseason, the club thus far hasn't unearthed a suitable replacement.
That hasn't been for a lack of effort apparently. According to the Athletic's Dianna Russini, the Vikings were one of the teams interested in signing Travis Etienne before the free agent back elected to join the Saints. While it may have stung the Vikings to lose out on Etienne, the former Jacksonville Jaguar's presence in New Orleans could open another option for Minnesota."
Kay finished his thoughts with Kamara's fit in Minnesota, and the reasonable cost of a Day 3 draft pick.
"Mason is a strong between-the-tackles style runner who can wear down defenses and generate early-down yardage. At this point in his career, Kamara is best utilized as a third-down back who can still do plenty of damage as a playmaking pass-catcher. He's No. 2 amongst active running backs in receiving yardage, trailing only Christian McCaffrey in that category.
With four picks in the final three rounds of the upcoming draft, the Vikings can afford to kick one over to New Orleans in exchange for a back who will plug one of their biggest holes and potentially contribute to a bounce-back campaign in the Twin Cities."
Before a particularly down season last year, including missing the final six games, Kamara had at least 57 receptions in seven of his first eight NFL seasons. That being said, his PFF grades as a receiver and pass blocker were actually a bit worse than Mason's last year.
A third-down role is ideal for Kamara at this stage of his career. He also has one year left on his contract. While on the surface, a trade would leave them a lot of his cap dollars with the Saints, due to a prorated signing bonus, they were able to greatly reduce his guaranteed money for 2026.
Not having to take on much money fortifies the fit here for the Vikings, and makes it very possible they are one of the teams wondering about Kamara's availability after the Saints agreed to a deal with Etienne.