Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones and the Vikings
We know Aaron Jones will be back in Purple in 2025. Will his former Packers teammate join him in crossing state lines in the NFC North rivalry?
Free agency doesn’t officially start until Wednesday of this week, but there has been plenty of headlines in the NFL over the last few days. From a Vikings standpoint, the most significant development is the re-signing of running back Aaron Jones.
It’s another Aaron, however, who is catching the most attention as it pertains to the Vikings - Aaron Rodgers.
Here’s a quick look at both of the Aaron situations.
Will Aaron Rodgers Follow Brett Favre’s Path to Minnesota?
It was a great dilemma for many Vikings’ fans back in 2009 when longtime rival and former Packers quarterback Brett Favre was on his way to Minnesota to sign with the Vikings. While some Vikings’ fans were immediately bought in on the idea of teaming up with the former rival to challenge the Packers, some were hard-pressed to set aside years of torture.
Eventually, nearly all of the Vikings’ fan base was on board and the ride in 2009.
The prospects of Rodgers finding his way to Minnesota, following the identical Packers-to-Jets-to-Vikings path, hits most of the Vikings’ fan base differently than did the Favre situation. While some would buy in right away, they are in the vast minority.
The majority of Vikings’ fans would resist this union, primarily because, unlike back in 2009, there is a clear heir apparent to the quarterback throne. J.J. McCarthy is in position to assume starting duties and has the potential to be the Vikings’ version of what Green Bay had with Favre and Rodgers - a 10-plus year starter.
As of 8:00 a.m. CT on Monday morning, it’s hard to envision a scenario where the Vikings pursue Rodgers.
It’s clear the Vikings are on a path to promote McCarthy to the starting position. If the appetite was for a veteran to hold the job while giving McCarthy time to heal and develop, the Vikings probably would’ve just re-signed Darnold as opposed to letting him walk out the door and then finding another veteran to start.
Even if the Vikings felt tempted to bring Rodgers into the mix, they would have serious competition. Both the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers are thought to be suitors for Rodgers. Their potential interest would be stronger than Minnesota’s because neither the Giants nor the Steelers have a youngster in place to eventually become the starter. They would therefore likely be willing to pay Rodgers more than the Vikings would.
Aaron Jones Returns to Vikings on Two-Year Deal
It was reported over the weekend that the Vikings and Aaron Jones had agreed on a new two-year contract that will pay the veteran running back $20 million with $13 million guaranteed. This represents a pay raise for Jones, who is coming off a season in which he logged career highs in carries with 255 and rushing yards with 1,138.
Despite those numbers, some may bristle at the cost of retaining Jones because of wear and tear concerns given his age - he turns 31 this season - as well as the fact that this year’s draft class is loaded with talent at the running back position.
Here are three reasons this signing makes sense, though:
Jones is a major part of the culture that’s been built in Minnesota. He has been vocal about how much he loves his situation with the Vikings and his coaches and teammates have reciprocated that. Since Jones is also producing, the Vikings should’ve felt hard-pressed to pass on the opportunity to bring him back.
Re-signing Jones doesn’t preclude the Vikings from dipping into the draft class. They could - and should - still draft at least one back this year. Assuming the Vikings do draft a running back in the first few rounds, that player will be a Day 1 contributor as a complement to Jones and that player will likely assume the primary role as soon as midseason this year.
Remember, the Vikings have the sixth-most salary cap space this offseason. Also, the salary cap increased substantially this year. And the Vikings are operating with their quarterback on a rookie contract, whereas most teams have upwards of 5%, 10% or more of their cap consumed by the quarterback’s contract. These are all highly favorable economic conditions for the Vikings. With so much working in their favor, the Vikings are in position to afford to splurge a bit on a player such as Jones. The money and cap space is available, and it’s money well spent.