Specific Vikings Weapon May Need to Adopt a New Job in Minnesota
Rather than being an every-down running back, Aaron Jones may need to shuffle toward becoming a high-end 3rd-down back.
The Vikings weapon is quietly among the NFL’s foremost pass catchers coming out of the backfield. Jones can run more than the normal dinky routes. So, too, can he make acrobatic, difficult catches. Continuing to lean on him makes a pile of sense, but adjusting the strategy with the 31-year-old playmaker could be the path forward.
Vikings Weapon Aaron Jones as a 3rd-Down Back
Part of the issue is age.
Oftentimes, being on the wrong side of 30 means that the time is nigh. Very few positions in the NFL are as rugged as running back, meaning the players who occupy the role have a modest shelf life. Making things even trickier for Mr. Jones is being someone who stands at 5’10” and 208 pounds alongside having various injuries in his NFL past. Being older, smaller, and hurt a lot is usually a bad recipe for sticking around in the NFL.
Plus, the man’s efficiency is declining, at least as a runner.
His 2025 has been shortened by injury. When capable of playing, Aaron Jones has turned 132 carries into 548 rushing yards. That’s a 4.2 yards-per-rush average. Modest without being outright poor.
The per-carry average would hit as a new career low for a complete season.
In fact, Jones put together a career low in 2024, his first as a Viking. He had 1,138 rushing yards, his highest ever total in his career. Working underneath the career-high rushing total was a 4.5 yards-per-rush average that was a career low at the time.
So, where’s the upside? After all, we’re talking about a runner who is soon to move into a $14 million cap charge. Could he become a cut candidate?
Sure, there’s the chance that Jones gets shown the door, but that may end up being a mistake.
The Vikings weapon isn’t perfect. He is, however, very good. Part of the appeal is that he’s versatile, a word that gets used too often in Minnesota but is nevertheless perfect for Jones. When the offense has Aaron Jones out there, a pass or run are almost equally viable even if the veteran becoming a pass catcher could be better.
Jones is sitting on 28 receptions for 199 yards and 1 touchdown. Note, folks, that we’re discussing a passing offense that has often been downright disastrous alongside a playmaker who has been dinged up. Adjusting on two fronts would be key.
For starters, there’s the need to get the passing attack back to some semblance of competence. If health allows, J.J. McCarthy is going to become very good. Yes, the team needs to infuse some legitimate competition into the mix, but McCarthy will be just fine as long as he doesn’t live in the infirmary. Seeing him become as good as he’s capable of being will mean the pass catchers offering far beefier statistics.
Furthermore, there’s much upside to be found in leaning on Aaron Jones primarily as a pass catcher rather than being an all-around running back. Lessening the carries while upping the catches would keep Jones away from some of those bone-rattling hits, creating a possibility for having him out there for longer.
There’s upside in the fact that he can run even if that becomes a task that fades into the background. Plus, Jones is a strong pass blocker, proving capable of taking on blitzing ‘backers.
Closing out the season in Week 18 is a game against the Packers, the team that brought Aaron Jones into the NFL in the 2017 NFL Draft.
