Aaron Jones Faced Criticism from His Own Family
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah went on a shopping spree in March, acquiring some of the team’s most productive players in free agency. The 2024 free agency class includes pass rushers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, linebacker Blake Cashman, cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin, and quarterback Sam Darnold.
Aaron Jones Faced Criticism from His Own Family
Folks were perhaps the most excited for the arrival of running back Aaron Jones, though, after the struggles of the running back room in the 2023 season. Longtime Packers runner Jones signed a one-year deal with the Vikings shortly after Green Bay said goodbye to him in favor of Josh Jacobs.
Early in the season, it was quite easy to see why the Vikings went with the new halfback over his predecessor, Alexander Mattison. In the last few games, however, Jones has dealt with an unusual problem for his standards: fumbles.
He fumbled in each of his last three games, including twice in the close win over the Arizona Cardinals. His mom, Vurgess Jones, was not happy about that sloppy play, the player reported earlier this week.
“She said they needed to sit you down. She was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, but they need to take you out of the game. They need to bench him right now,’” Jones said Wednesday. “Anytime I hear from my mom, it’s going to be worse. I was like, ‘I gotta learn from it.’ and she said, ‘You didn’t learn from it last week?’ and I was like, ‘Damn, mom…’ I kind of didn’t know what to say, but it’s what I need.”
Jones should be happy Kevin O’Connell ‒ not his mom ‒ is coaching the team. O’Connell sat Jones for a couple of drives and relied on Cam Akers and Ty Chandler to have an increased share of touches. However, Jones is a more dynamic player, so it wasn’t surprising to see him turn back to Jones after a brief absence.
That move surely paid off when Jones secured the game-winning touchdown.
Throughout his career, Jones has not been known for his fumble problems, registering 20 (including the four in the last three contests) in 109 games. He has never had more than five in a season, a number he reached in 2022 and, unfortunately for Vikings fans, in 2024.
Jones continued to clarify his mom’s criticism: “My mom, being hard on me, that was my dad for so many years. My dad’s not here so now my mom’s kind of took the role over without me asking her. So it’s kind of a little eye-opening when your dad is on you, and your mom is the one rubbing your back [telling you] it’s okay, and now it’s mom getting on you and not too many…nobody is back there saying it’s okay.”
Jones was close to his dad, who passed away in 2021 due to a COVID-19 infection.
Because the running back has been a reliable player for years, it is reasonable to expect it to be a three-week fluke. His next chance to add to his redemption arc, which already features a game-winning score, will come on Sunday when the Atlanta Falcons come to the Twin Cities.
The Falcons have a running defense that ranks 29th in success rate, meaning Jones should be able to generate some yards against them.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt