AaronJones Sr.

News: 5 days agoJones (hip) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Packers, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Spin: Jones dealt with a slew of injuries this season and ultimately played just 12 games, finishing with a career-low 4.2 YPC while posting his lowest marks since his rookie year for rushing yards (548) and receiving yards (199). He was still reasonably effective when poor QB play didn't crater Minnesota's entire offense, so he could be back next year for the final season of a two-year extension. Jones turned 31 in December and is scheduled for a $9 million base salary in 2026, with $2 million already guaranteed and another $2 million kicking in on the third day of the new league year. In other words, the Vikings likely will trade/release Jones before mid-March if they don't plan to keep him around for the 2026 season.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Jones re-signed with Minnesota after a successful 2024 campaign, in which he appeared in all 17 regular-season games and ranked top 10 among RBs in carries, targets, touches and yards. Jones, who played a career-high 64% of the offensive snaps, was effective as a rusher and receiver but had the league's worst touchdown luck (seven TDs, 12.8 expected), which limited him to a 20th-place finish in fantasy PPG. Scoring regression is a strong bet in 2025, but Jones is now 30 years old, working in a pass-first scheme and will defer work (perhaps substantial work) to newcomer Jordan Mason. Jones should be viewed as a flex option.