Grab your popcorn because the NFC North rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings just got more interesting.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Tuesday that running back Aaron Jones and the Vikings agreed to a one-year, $7 million contract after the Packers released the veteran. Jones spent the first seven years of his career in Green Bay but will have a change of scenery following this move.
His decision comes after NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported the Packers agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal with running back Josh Jacobs.
Minnesota didn't just focus on running back Tuesday, as Rapoport and Pelissero reported it agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal with quarterback Sam Darnold. The team needed to address the quarterback position after Kirk Cousins agreed to a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons, per Pelissero.
According to Over The Cap, the Vikings have $32.9 million in team cap space, so they may not be done adding pieces outside of their new talented running back and veteran quarterback.
Here is how Jones and Darnold fit into Minnesota's depth chart of offensive skill players:
- QB: Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens
- RB: Aaron Jones, Ty Chandler
- WR: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, N'Keal Harry, Jalen Nailor
- TE: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver
While Darnold has not lived up to the expectations that were placed on his shoulders when he was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, it is hard to script a better landing spot as he looks to turn his career around in 2024.
Minnesota has arguably the best wide receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson, which would be a welcome development by itself for any quarterback. However, it also has a two-time Pro Bowler at tight end in T.J. Hockenson, a potential star in the making as the No. 2 wide receiver in Jordan Addison and, now, a game-changing running back in Jones.
Darnold, who is 21-35 in his career as a starter for the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, will have no shortage of weapons on a team that was just 13-4 during the 2022 campaign.
NFL @NFLAaron Jones loves playing the Cowboys 🤠 <a href="">@Showtyme_33</a><br><br>- 4 games<br>- 488 rush yards (83 carries)<br>- 5.9 yards per carry<br>- 9 rush TD<br>- 122 rush YPG vs DAL (most by any player with at least 3 G vs DAL) <a href="">
Jones is one of those weapons and will surely be motivated by Green Bay's decision to move on and go with Jacobs.
The 29-year-old was limited to 11 games and ran for 656 yards last season, but he has three years of more than 1,000 rushing yards on his resume. He is is also a solid pass-catching option out of the backfield and posted back-to-back years of more than 50 catches in 2021 and 2022.
At his best, Jones is a dual-threat playmaker who can remain on the field for all three downs and use his physicality to pick up short yardage or his speed to beat defenders around the edge.
If he consistently does that in 2024 for the Vikings, the Packers may regret their decision.
