Early in the 2024 offseason, the Green Bay Packers asked Aaron Jones to take a noticeable pay cut for the second straight year. When he and his agent balked at that, he was cut, and the next day he agreed to terms with the Minnesota Vikings.
Things went well for Jones last season, as he rushed for a career-high 1,138 yards along with 51 receptions. But he also set career-highs in carries (255) and touches (306), while battling some nagging injuries despite playing all 17 games. After bringing him back on a two-year deal in March, the Vikings were not going to repeat that workload for Jones in his age-31 season.
A running back addition was coming this offseason, one way or another, but it was surprising when the Vikings were the team to acquire Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers. They also signed the 26-year-old to a two-year contract, proving a commitment to him as a key piece of their backfield.
Mason is an ideal complement to Jones. Last season with the 49ers, he was proficient in every area as a runner; Jones wasn't. With that in mind, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has consistently referred to the backfield split as a 1A/1B situation.
That isn't to say Jones won't have an important role. If anything, he'll be more efficient with a lighter workload. But Mason will be a big factor.
Minnesota Vikings prediction takes foreshadowed change of the guard to its full extent
ESPN's Dan Graziano recently offered a bold (more like bold-ish in some cases) prediction for each NFL team.
For the Vikings, it was "don't be surprised if... Jordan Mason leads the team in rushing."
"The Vikings love Aaron Jones Sr. If you've ever talked to Jones, you know why. He is a great player and a great guy to have in your locker room. But he's also 30 years old and coming off a 322-touch season.
The Vikings traded for Mason, the former 49ers back, who they believe adds an explosive element to their run game. So far, they've been thrilled with Mason's play, and they envision a pretty even split in running back duties this season between him and Jones.
But during some Christian McCaffrey absences in San Francisco, Mason did show the ability to function as more than just part of a tandem. He ran for 789 yards on 153 carries last season.
So it's not hard to picture a scenario in which the Vikings decide to lean more on him as the season goes along. Again, nothing against Jones -- this could just be the natural evolution of things in Minnesota."
While Mason may have some untapped upside in that area, Jones is in line to be the Vikings' primary pass-catching back.
But what is lined up to start as an equal split of the rushing attempts could easily tilt toward Mason as the season goes on, and a changing of the backfield guard takes place, as it was foreshadowed back in March.