The NFL offseason is beginning to pick up steam with teams around the league building out their rosters for next year. The Minnesota Vikings have joined this effort by agreeing to a new two-year contract with running back Aaron Jones.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is for two years and $20 million with $13 million guaranteed.
After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, Jones elected to remain in the NFC North and signed a one-year contract with the Vikings last offseason. Jones suited up for all 17 games and finished the season with a career-high 1,138 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. He also added 408 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown receptions, joining Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson as the only running backs with 1,100+ rushing yards and 400+ receiving yards.
There has begun to be a resurgence in the willingness of teams to spend at the running back position. While Jones does not move the needle as much as these names, Saquon Barkley signed a notable contract with the Philadelphia Eagles and was crucial to the Super Bowl run. Derrick Henry also joined the Ravens last offseason and provided a new element to their offensive approach.
Minnesota sits in a slightly different spot as they will now shift their focus to finding a long-term solution at quarterback. Sam Darnold proved to be a great redemption story last season and helped lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record. But Minnesota did not use the franchise tag on the 27-year-old and he seems to be drawing some significant interest across the league. In addition, they selected quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft. The former Michigan standout suffered a meniscus tear that required a pair of surgeries and prevented him from getting on the field in his rookie season.
Whoever is set to take snaps under center will benefit from having Jones behind him and arguably the best wide receiver in football in Justin Jefferson. At age 30, Jones is showing no signs of slowing down and the Vikings showed their belief in him with this deal.
Despite the success Minnesota had last season, it is tied for the 15th-best odds to win the Super Bowl at +4000 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Vikings also hold the third-best odds of winning the NFC North, trailing the Lions and Packers, at +450 odds.
There is still plenty to figure out on this Vikings team moving forward, but the running back position is squared away for at least the next two years as Jones remains with the team.
