The Waiting Ends as Vikings Officially Arrive at Roster Decisions
The Vikings officially arriving at some decisions with well-paid veterans feels like a long time coming.
To begin, note that Minnesota has opted to reverse course with RB1 Aaron Jones. He’s sticking around, per Tom Pelissero: “The Vikings and RB Aaron Jones have agreed to a revised contract to keep him in Minnesota for the 2026 season, sources tell me and @RapSheet. Jones lowers his base salary to $5.5 million and will stay in Minnesota.”
And a follow-up thought from Pelissero: “The Vikings never wanted to let go of Aaron Jones, who is a strong locker room presence and still effective when healthy at age 31. The sides worked towards a new deal and found common ground to keep in purple for another season.”
Likewise, Alec Lewis of The Athletic offers up the news. Check it out: “The Vikings and RB Aaron Jones have agreed to a revised contract for 2026, per source. Minnesota has valued Jones, especially as pass catcher and for his leadership internally. Still could see a drafted RB in play next month.”
Folks, keeping Mr. Jones is a great outcome for Minnesota. The veteran isn’t elite, but he’s very good. Look for him to keep doing great work, especially in the passing attack. Jones has never been someone with blistering speed but he’s a terrific pass catcher.
So, too, have the Vikings arrived at a conclusion on DT Javon Hargrave. ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “Vikings are releasing DT Javon Hargrave today.”
And Kevin Seifert, Vikings beat writer, getting into the mix in relation to the Hargrave news from Schefter: “The Vikings’ organizational and financial course-correction is continuing.”
Next up would be Jonathan Allen, the veteran DT who came to the Twin Cities alongside Mr. Hargrave. The news that gets relayed by the team’s official social media: “The #Vikings have released DL Jonathan Allen and DL Javon Hargrave.”
Note that safety Harrison Smith got looped into the mix. The update? Simply that he’s still an option.
Lewis delivers the update: “The Vikings will process S Harrison Smith as a post-June 1 release this afternoon, per source. This is procedural. Harrison’s decision for 2026 remains up in the air. The team would welcome his return. This allows him more time. All sides have been in contact & in agreement.”
Next up will be what’s coming at quarterback. In particular, there’s a lot of chatter around Kyler Murray. The NFL is a strange place, though, so don’t count those purple chickens until they’re hatched.
