Vikings Have Two Paths to Choose From at RB in 2026
The Minnesota Vikings are in a position that they are likely quite familiar with in the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era to this point. Going into 2026, there are some question marks at runningback.
Starting running back Aaron Jones seems to be sidelined every week the Vikings take the field at this point. That’s not meant to be a jab at the veteran; we’re talking about a 31-year-old back that has a lot of miles on the tires. This is expected to happen, and will continue to happen.
It’s not unrealistic that Minnesota will part ways with him after this season. They gave Jones a two-year/$20 million deal in March of 2025 to extend the original one-year employment agreement he signed in 2024. The contract is more or less structured as a one-year deal; therefore, the Vikings won’t have much trouble terminating it before its natural end in 2027.
Additionally, Jordan Mason went down with what could be a serious injury during Sunday’s game against the Giants. Mason was carted off with an ankle ailment. He will likely be on the team next year, but he is not exactly an “RB1” as they say these days.
So, this begs the question: what do the Vikings do at running back in 2026? Well, let’s talk about it.
Option 1: The Vikings Go Back to the Free Agency Pool
It’s what they did with Aaron Jones in 2024, so it could be what they do in 2026 if they are to release him.
Consider some of the names that are currently on expiring deals, and will hit the open market in early March:
- Breece Hall (NYJ)
- Kenneth Walker (SEA)
- J.K. Dobbins (LAC)
- Javonte Williams (DAL)
- Kenneth Gainwell (PIT)
…and that’s just to name a few.
Minnesota landing a big fish like Breece Hall or Kenneth Walker would be big-time. The Vikings could very much use a young back with plenty of miles left to lead this team into the future in the backfield with Jordan Mason.
The Vikings, of course, don’t have a ton of cap space to play with. At the current moment, OverTheCap has them at a cool -$36 million in the bank in 2026. Moves will have to be made to open the necessary cap space to acquire players in March.
Option 2: The 2026 NFL Draft
Here’s a couple of 2026 NFL Draft prospects to get familiar with over the next couple of months.
- Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame)
- Jonah Coleman (Washington)
- Nicholas Singleton (Penn State)
- Justice Haynes (Michigan!)
- Kaytron Allen (Penn State)
The obvious big-get here would be the Heisman Trophy finalist of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Jeremiyah Love.
Love would obviously have to come at a cost of the Vikings’ first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. At this point, if the Vikings keep hurting their own draft position, Love likely will be gone by the time they pick. In that case, they’d have to resort to day two to find the future of their backfield.
