Veteran running back Aaron Jones is going to be either traded or released by the Minnesota Vikings for salary cap relief purposes, according to multiple reports.
Jones, who played with the Green Bay Packers from 2017-2023, signed with the Vikings in 2024 after the Packers released him because he refused a significant pay cut after missing six regular season games with injuries. When the Packers and Jones couldn’t come to an agreement, Jones was released following the signing of Josh Jacobs.
After playing all 17 games with Minnesota in 2024 and rushing for over 1,100 yards, Jones missed five games with the Vikings this year due to injury. He averaged a career-low 4.2 yards a carry, rushing for 448 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 28 passes for 199 yards. Jones, nine-year veteran, fell to No. 2 on the depth card under Jordan Mason.
Projected to be more than 40 million over the NFL’s new $301.2 million salary cap, the Vikings will save $7.75 million by removing Jones from the roster. Jones is entering the final season of a two-year, $20 million extension. He’s currently the ninth-highest paid running back in the league according to data at Sportrac.com.
The Packers selected Jones, 31, in the fifth-round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He has rushed for 7,626 yards and 52 touchdowns in his NFL career. He led the NFL in rushing scores in 2019.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Minnesota Vikings to reportedly part ways with Aaron Jones
Reporting by Emmett Prosser, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
