Matthew Coller: Aaron Jones wants to be a piece of the puzzle

The Vikings added a major weapon this year in the backfield -- he wants to add to what they already have...

Matthew Coller

EAGAN — For many years the name Aaron Jones sent shivers down the spines of Minnesota Vikings fans.

Since being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2017, he has done nothing but demolish Vikings defenses. In last year’s primetime game with playoff implications for both teams, Jones ran for 120 yards on just 20 carries in a 33-10 Green Bay blowout. Who can forget the 2019 game where Jones single-handedly ended the Vikings’ hopes of winning the division by scampering for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a two-score victory for the Pack. Jones averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry six times out of his last eight games against the Vikings.

The purple aren’t the only team that has been left shaking their heads by Jones over the years. Since 2017 he leads the NFL in yards per carry and success rate. He also has the fourth most receiving TDs since entering the NFL.

Considering his resume, it came as a surprise when the Packers elected to cut him and the Vikings were able to swoop in and add Jones to the backfield on a one-year contract.

“When we got an opportunity to bring him here, it’s one of those things you don’t think is really going to be possible,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said on the Rich Eisen Show this week.

Whenever anyone talks about the Vikings, the first thing to come up is the offensive weapons that they will deploy around new quarterbacks Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy. That starts with the receiving corps i.e. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson. But the addition of Jones improves an area where the Vikings have struggled mightily over the first two years of Kevin O’Connell’s tenure. The Vikings rank 27th in yards per carry since the start of 2022 and 28th in rushing yards.

Jones feels that the other skill players on offense give him a chance to bring his success from Green Bay over to Minnesota.

“It really excites me,” Jones said. “I’ve played with a number one receiver and now being here with a number one receiver, two number ones if you ask me. Three number ones if you throw in TJ [Hockenson] there it’s like, who are you going to guard? You want to double this guy, you’ve got three or four more guys. The matchups we can get against the defense are pretty much always going to be in our favor.”

How much Jones is going to play is a question the fantasy football community is probably asking this summer. It’s clear he’s going to be the No. 1 RB but last year Ty Chandler gained 4.5 yards per carry in his opportunities and had a strong showing when Alexander Mattison went down.

“Going into it you never know how many touches you’re going to get, when your number is called you make the most of the opportunity,” Jones said.

Over his career Jones averages 12.1 carries per game and 2.7 receptions per game so we can expect that Chandler will get his chances to rotate with the Pro Bowl runner this season.

“Ty did a great job last year when he got his opportunity and he’s ready for it,” Jones said. “He’s a great back. He can catch out of the backfield, run and he’s been picking up blitzes. We’re here to make each other better and bring out the best in each other.”

As far as how he’s fitting into what O’Connell wants to do in the running game, he said that the system is not completely foreign to him having played under Matt LaFleur, who has similar roots to O’Connell.

“I came from a similar system, it’s a little different terminology but I wouldn’t say it’s too difficult,” Jones said. “I’d say 50% of it is similar, 50% of it is different…trying to learn that and throw out the old stuff. Some of the concepts overlap.”

The main concern about Jones is his age. He will turn 30 in December, an age that has not been particularly kind to running backs over the years. Since 2016 there have only been eight running backs to clear 1,000 yards after age 29 and only two of those eight gained more than 4.2 yards per carry en route to doing so. There have only been three RBs to gain more than 4.5 YPC with at least 150 rushes beyond 29 during that same span.

But Jones’s most recent sample size of play strongly suggests he can buck the age trend. He gained at least 100 yards at 5.0 yards per carry or more in each of the final five Packers games in 2023, including a three-touchdown playoff game against the Cowboys.

With chances at quarterback for the Vikings are not only in need of rushing improvement but experience, receiving ability and blocking. He said that he’s ready to bring it all regardless of who lines up under center.

“No matter who’s at quarterback and I’m going to do my job and provide that spark,” Jones said.

Additional notes

— There is a rumor floating around the internet that JJ McCarthy will hold out of training camp if his signing bonus is not fully guaranteed. There has been some head butting over guarantees in rookie deals in recent years but we haven’t seen mass holdouts for rookies. The most notable was Joey Bosa in 2016 battled the Chargers through his entire first camp over the language in his contract. There have been several quarterbacks who received their whole signing bonuses up front. Players can be fined $40,000 per day for unexcused camp absences so it doesn’t seem likely that McCarthy would sit out or that they will have trouble working out his deal.

— Wednesday is the final day of OTAs for the Vikings for the spring. The next time we see them on the practice field will be in training camp. The Vikings announced on Tuesday that that there will be nine open practices to fans, beginning with Back Together Weekend on Saturday, July 27, and will conclude on Thursday, August 8.