It’s an interesting time to be Aaron Jones.
By all accounts, the Minnesota Vikings’ running back had a career year in 2024. He set highs in yards and carries while starting all 17 games. He did exactly what the Vikings needed at one of their thinnest positions on the field.
On the other hand, he probably won’t be as productive this year. He’ll turn 31 during the season, making him one of the oldest running backs in the NFL. He also has an injury history that has caused him to miss time in the past, something he narrowly avoided last year. The Vikings know they can’t lean on Jones so heavily again if they want him on the field every week.
Jones was at his best in Green Bay when he played with another starting-caliber running back by his side. In 2019, Jones and Jamaal Williams split carries, and Jones led the league in rushing touchdowns. He also had the most scrimmage yards of his career that season. The two had a similar relationship in 2020, Jones’ lone Pro Bowl year.
In 2022, Jones and A.J. Dillon had 213 and 186 carries, respectively. While Dillon was the favored back to get goal-line touches (and therefore touchdowns), Jones amassed the most rushing yards of his career up to that point and was a more effective rusher (5.3 yards/attempt).
Last season, Jones took the highest number of snaps in his career as a 30-year-old running back. He was ninth in the league in rush attempts and was the only running back age 30 or older not named Derrick Henry to carry the ball more than 100 times.
If history is any indication, Jones is a rolled ankle away from missing serious time.
Luckily for him, the Vikings traded for Jordan Mason this offseason.
Adding Mason eases the load on Jones, setting him up with a situation similar to what he had in Green Bay. Jones is consistent, amassing over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in five of the past six seasons. However, he doesn’t excel in the red zone and against stacked boxes.
Out of 24 carries inside the 10-yard line last year, Jones totaled eight yards, the least among those with that many attempts. Move it up to the five-yard line, and Jones’ 12 carries earned him a whopping minus-four yards. He had 1.8 yards per carry in the red zone.
On the flip side, Mason thrives when he gets his hands on the ball with a stacked box. Although he had limited opportunities, he saw eight or more defenders in front of him 33.3% of the time, the second-highest rate in the NFL. Despite that, his average yards and yards over expected (YOE) were the sixth-best in the league, while his YOE per attempt was third-best.
Thus, the Vikings have created a formula for Jones and Mason to be serious threats in their offense. Mason can use his size and shiftiness to be the power back the team missed last year, which frees up Jones to utilize his explosiveness and breakaway speed when he gets out in space. It’s similar to what Jones had with Dillon: the strong, bruising back who can take on short-yardage situations.
On top of his career high in carries, Jones also caught the second-most passes and racked up the second-most yards of his career on the receiving end. It’s been a foundational part of his game since he came into the league, averaging nearly 54 catches a year since becoming a full-time starter. In that regard, he’s a more dynamic player than Mason, who only has 14 catches in his career.
Jones’ receiving prowess will come in handy with J.J. McCarthy under center. As a first-year starter, he’ll need checkdowns as an outlet, and Jones is a viable threat in short-passing situations out of the backfield. He averages 7.7 yards per catch in his career and has scored 20 touchdowns, experience that will come in handy with an inexperienced quarterback.
The Vikings are going to rely more on the run this year. They beefed up the offensive line by signing Will Fries and Ryan Kelly and drafting Donovan Jackson. With essentially a rookie QB at the helm, it’s imperative that Jones is healthy and at his best.
Splitting carries with Mason and getting work in as a receiver will bring out the best in Jones, because it’s what made him so effective in green and gold. If the Vikings want to keep the Aaron Jones that they got last year, they’ll need to take some notes from their division rival.