Earlier this month, the Minnesota Vikings informed running back Aaron Jones that he would be released for cost-cutting reasons, as the nine-year veteran was set to collect $9 million in base salary in 2026, while holding a salary cap hit of more than $14.5 million.
On Wednesday, however, mere hours before the official start of the 2026 league year, the Vikings changed course. And instead of releasing the 31-year-old, they restructured his contract to keep him in Minnesota for at least one more season, dropping his base salary to $5.5 million.
Given their overall salary cap issues, the Vikings, who were forced to make several big cuts and restructure some contracts just to get under the number, were never going to be in play for some of the more high-profile running backs on the open market.
But that's apparently not the reason why they opted to bring Jones back, as NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero has reported that they never wanted to release him in the first place.
"The Vikings never wanted to let go of Aaron Jones, who is a strong locker room presence and still effective when healthy at age 31. The sides worked towards a new deal and found common ground to keep in purple for another season."
Aaron Jones still gives the MInnesota Vikings a solid option at running back
Yes, there were better (and younger) running backs on the market during this cycle of free agency. But as Pelissero mentioned, Jones can still produce when healthy and remains one of the better dual-threat backs in the league.
Sure, his numbers were down this past season, as he rushed for only 548 yards, his lowest total since his rookie season with the Green Bay Packers back in 2017.
However, he also missed five games with various injuries (hamstring, hip, shoulder) and was splitting touches with Jordan Mason when he was available to play.
But let's not forget that Jones isn't all that far removed from a 2024 campaign in which he appeared in all 17 games and rushed for a career-high 1,138 yards and five touchdowns, adding another 408 yards and two scores on 51 receptions.
Some may not be aware, but those 1,546 total yards from scrimmage actually ranked eighth in the entire NFL that season.
So, again, the guy can still go.
Now, as to exactly who will be handing and throwing the ball to Jones come Week 1 this September, whether it be J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray, or possibly even Kirk Cousins, that's still up in the air. But that's obviously a completely different story.