Matthew Coller: Aaron Jones is just different

The former Packer returns to Green Bay as he has been a revelation in Minnesota.

Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

EAGAN — From a statistical perspective, you do not need a microscope to see Aaron Jones’s impact on the Minnesota Vikings.

Jones, who was previously most known in Minnesota for stealing the souls of the Vikings twice per year, has 228 yards in three games at 5.4 yards per carry. He has 12 receptions for 97 yards and contributed in pass protection as well.

And just like that, the Vikings went from being one of the least effective running and screen passing teams in 2023 to having a serious threat out of the backfield this year. Who would have thought that signing a player who ranks in the top 10 all-time in yards per carry would be the answer to what ailed them? Go figure.

But there is something more to Jones’ influence on the organization than yards per carry. He is the type of player whose energy permeates an entire building. The way he approaches the game causes coaches and teammates to get either really excited or downright emotional when they talk about him. This week Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said that Jones is, “one of my favorite players that I've ever had the privilege to coach.”

Why does he leave such an impression on everyone? It begins with his attitude.

“Unbelievable human,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “You can use the [phrase] that a guy, ‘has never had a bad day.’ That's one thing, but you pair the joy he has coming to this building every day, his immediate impact as a teammate in that locker room, and you pair that with being the talented guy that loves football like he does.”

O’Connell explained that, despite Jones’ massive success in the NFL over his career, he’s “incredibly accountable,” and is the first to take responsibility if there is a mistake.

“I can't tell you in the limited things that he can improve on since we got him, every time it's, ‘coach I'm going to do that better, coach that's on me,’” O’Connell said. “He's an inward-looking guy that cares about others and happens to be world class at what he does. It's a cool deal, and I echo Matt [LaFleur]'s sentiments on that.”

Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said that when he saw Jones following the Vikings’ blowout win over the Houston Texans — a game in which the veteran RB had over 100 yards — and Jones was focused on what he could have done better.

“I gave him a hug in the locker room, and [he says], ‘I'm sorry about that penalty, coach, I shouldn't have done that, it won’t happen again,’” Phillips explained. “I mean, that's what he's thinking about at that moment, and always better to correct with a win. But that's just the kind of guy he is. He's always working to get better and always looking to help the young guys, help the team in a leadership role, pick guys up if they just seem a little.”

It seems that every coach has the same experience with Jones.

“Being from the same school, I knew a lot of people who knew him and coached him going through college and had only heard great things,” Phillips said. “Then once he was in the NFL, I mean all the coaches in Green Bay that I knew when you're talking about some of your favorite players of all time, it was really just no question. It's Aaron Jones.”

Jones has been a star for so long that it’s easy to forget that he was an afterthought in the running back stacked 2017 draft that included Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, and Joe Mixon. While he ran for more than 1,700 yards at 7.7 yards per attempt in his final year at UTEP, Jones’ 40-yard dash time and size were well below average, drawing skepticism.

It may have taken him longer than those other top draft picks to get his chance but as soon as he got into the NFL, he began winning people over.

In a piece this week for , Jones told a story about former Packers QB Aaron Rodgers going to bat for him as a young player and even demanding to have him in the game.

Rodgers told him: “Hey. I am one of your biggest fans in this entire organization. It’s your time. Yours, right now.”

Two years into his career, Jones led the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 16 and never looked back.

His path to stardom is part of what makes his approach unique.

“I always had this chip on my shoulder since I've been playing football so I feel like I've always been overlooked or underrated or yeah so I've always had a chip on my shoulder and that's never gonna change,” Jones said.

He’s made it clear that he received nothing other than great treatment from the Packers’ organization and fans, especially when his father passed away, but he was surprised when they decided to cut him following five straight 100-yard games to end 2023 in favor of signing former Raider Josh Jacobs.

The Vikings were also surprised — and delighted.

“It was not only excitement about the player and what you know about the player already, but to get him from a division rival just to be able to get one of the players that you don't have to compete against anymore, and he's on your side is a pretty good feeling,” Phillips said.

Jones explained that he had a “full circle” moment as he was packing up his house in Green Bay to move to Minnesota. He remembered thinking: “Who thought I would have been here packing my stuff up? But I am and ready for this new adventure.”

As he heads back to Green Bay, where he scored 63 touchdowns and ran for nearly 6,000 career yards, Jones isn’t going back with bitterness. That’s not his way. Instead he explained that he wanted the Player’s Tribune piece to show appreciation for Green Bay.

“I just wanted to tell them thank you for my time there, accepting me, allowing me to become the player that I am,” Jones said. “I feel like I didn't say goodbye to their fans. I feel like they were kind of in the middle with me coming in. So I just wanted to let them know, hey, it's nothing but love and respect.”

With that said, nobody wants to find the end zone more than Jones against the team that didn’t think he was worth keeping — and for the team that has been overjoyed to have him in the backfield this season.

And if he does score…

“Definitely leaping, definitely leaping up there,” Jones said.