Running back is the position that has experienced the most movement in free agency thus far. A number of players, including Joe Mixon, Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, and Saquon Barkley, have already joined new teams. The biggest surprising change among running backs, though, may have happened with the Green Bay Packers.
Josh Jacobs was signed by the green and gold to a four-year, $48 million contract, which is effectively a one-year agreement. However, there was a price to pay for adding Jacobs. In essence, the Packers went with Jacobs over Aaron Jones, whom they let loose to save money. Ultimately, Jones agreed to a $7 million, one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers and general manager Brian Gutekunst are placing a significant wager with this. Not only is it debatable if Jacobs is superior to Jones, but Jones has been overtaken by a division opponent. What sort of grade do the Vikings get for signing Jones?
Rating Aaron Jones’s contract with the Vikings
The player comes first. The previous season, Aaron Jones was beset with injuries. As a result, he only participated in 11 games and spent the most of them as a part-time player. In only six of the eleven regular season games he participated in previous season, Jones saw more than half of the offensive snaps for the Packers. Jones had fully recovered from a hamstring injury he had sustained in Week 1 and had many setbacks with during the season, and those three games were Green Bay’s last three regular-season games as they headed toward a do-or-die situation to qualify for the playoffs.
That may account for the Packers’ choice to let Jones depart, but it doesn’t explain why they won’t likely live to regret it. When Jones took the field in 2023, he was once again nothing short of spectacular. Jones had a career-low 4.6 yards per run, but his injuries limited his output. Nevertheless, playerprofiler.com reports that in 2023, he placed second among all running backs with an average of 1.85 yards per route run. He is ranked 15th in actual yards per carry (4.5), yards produced per touch (3.76), and yards per touch (5.2) among running backs on that website.
One of the NFL’s top running backs, Jones remains. By giving Jones only $7 million over a one-year period, the Vikings are getting a bargain in comparison to some of the other players at the position who have recently received compensation. His salary for Minnesota will be less than what the Chicago Bears, their division foe, are paying D’Andre Swift, a younger but inferior player.
Running back deals (average per year):
Saquon Barkley $12.5M
Josh Jacobs $12M
Tony Pollard $8M
D’Andre Swift $8M
Devin Singletary $5.5M
Antonio Gibson $3.75M
Gus Edwards $3.25M— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) March 11, 2024
Minnesota also required a running back. Even though Ty Chandler did become a star at the conclusion of the season, he only had three games in which he carried the ball eight or more times and averaged more than four yards per carry. Chandler, who was 19th among running backs in yards generated per touch, should get his fair number of runs, but Minnesota can retain him in a backup and change-of-pace position, which is probably what he’s best at. Prior to the start of free agency, the Vikings also released Alexander Mattison, which left a hole in the backfield that Jones filled.
Aaron Jones was a fan favorite for a reason, but there’s also a reason the Packers moved on from him. The former should not concern the Vikings. While they strategize how to handle that position going forward, he can solidify their running back room for the time being. Minnesota made a wise signing with this one. Despite losing Kirk Cousins, they still have an offensive weapon at their disposal to assist cover for his absence.