Kevin O'Connell, Vikings
Getty
Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings didn’t look like sellers a couple of weeks ago, but at 3-4 and with the trade deadline bearing down on the NFL next week, the team could say goodbye to a couple of recognizable names.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell authored a trade guide on Thursday, October 30, and included Minnesota in the category of teams that should consider moving a player or two to amass draft capital. Barnwell mentioned one player on each side of the football as trade candidates: running back Aaron Jones and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.
“The Vikings had only five picks in 2025, and at 3-4, they haven’t looked like a team that can make a deep playoff push this season,” Barnwell wrote. “Moving on from Jones might be more about saving money than anything else. He is owed just over $1 million in 2025 and has $2 million of his $10 million compensation in 2026 guaranteed, a deal the Vikings are likely to move on from this offseason. Would a team like the [Los Angeles] Chargers be willing to essentially pay $3 million to have Jones in its lineup for the rest of 2025?”
“Pace, who has fallen out of the starting lineup and played just 17 defensive snaps over the past two weeks, is a restricted free agent after the season,” Barnwell added.
Injury Has Ravaged Aaron Jones’ Availability, Production This Season
Aaron Jones Minnesota Vikings
GettyRunning back Aaron Jones of the Minnesota Vikings.
Jones inked a $20 million deal to return to Minnesota over the offseason after signing a $7 million contract to join the Vikings ahead of the 2024 campaign. Before that, he had spent the entirety of his seven-year NFL career as a member of the Green Bay Packers.
The RB bounced back from injuries in 2023, which cost him six full games and parts of others that season, to appear in all 17 regular-season contests for the 14-win Vikings last year. Jones finished the campaign with 1,138 rushing yards, 408 receiving yards and seven total TDs.
Unfortunately, Jones sustained a hamstring injury in Week 2 and has played just three games this season. He has only 61 rushing yards on 18 carries and has caught five passes for 59 yards and one score.
Jordan Mason’s Presence on Vikings Roster Makes Aaron Jones More Expendable
Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
GettyRunning back Jordan Mason of the Minnesota Vikings.
The primary reason for Jones’ lack of production in 2025 is injury. However, a secondary factor is the presence of Jordan Mason on the roster.
Minnesota traded with the San Francisco 49ers for the bruising runner ahead of the season and then signed him to a two-year extension. Mason was already tracking as the team’s primary rusher prior to Jones’ injury. After Jones went on IR, Mason took over RB1 duties and isn’t likely to surrender them at any point for the remainder of the year.
Mason has tallied 383 rushing yards and four TDs on 4.4 yards per carry and has also caught 10 passes for 37 yards, despite that not being a major part of his game during his first three professional campaigns.
Mason’s presence on the roster renders Jones far more expendable than he might be otherwise, with teams like the Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and others potentially interested in dealing for a running back ahead of next week’s trade deadline.