Aaron Jones Sr. DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Minnesota Vikings are re-signing running back Aaron Jones, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Jones' new agreement is a two-year $20 million deal, including $13 million guaranteed. The UTEP product is fresh off his first season with the team, in which he set career-highs in touches (306), carries (255), and rushing yards (1,138) -- totaling seven touchdowns. It was just the third time he'd participated in a full slate of games in his career. The move makes sense for the Vikes, as the 30-year-old was still productive despite dealing with rib, hip, and quad injuries during the 2024 season. It will be interesting to see who the team's signal-caller will be, as J.J. McCarthy (knee) is slated to begin practicing in the spring, though to what extent is unknown. Still, Minnesota has their lead back locked up, and he'll likely be among the first 15-20 backs taken off the board in fantasy drafts this summer.

The Minnesota Vikings want to re-sign impending free-agent running back Aaron Jones, but The Athletic's Alec Lewis writes that even if they do, they are looking for more of a by-committee backfield approach. Lewis expects the Vikings to take a running back in the upcoming NFL draft in April. After signing a one-year, $7 million deal with Minnesota last offseason, the 30-year-old former Packers RB posted his fourth 1,000-yard rushing campaign and added five rushing touchdowns on a career-high 255 rushing attempts in 17 regular-season starts. He also added 51 catches for 408 yards and another two touchdowns. But Jones is now 30 years old, and the Vikings surely want to lessen his load as he ages if they bring him back in 2025. If Jones returns to the Vikings next season, he could end up being more of a shaky RB2 target in fantasy.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Denver Broncos are expected to "take a look" at a versatile back for Sean Payton's rushing scheme. Fowler noted that given Jones' eight years of NFL experience, he could be a strong fit for a team that is looking to take the next step. During the 2024 season, the Broncos struggled to generate much on the ground as they tallied the 17th-most rushing yards per game (112.2). Javonte Williams tallied the most yards out of the backfield (513), with Jaleel McLaughlin just behind with 496 yards. In his debut campaign in Minnesota, Aaron Jones ran for 1,138 yards with five scores on 255 attempts. He added 408 yards and two scores on 51 receptions. Even though he is entering his age-30 season, Jones should be in a good position to tally over 1,000 yards on the ground once again in 2025.