We love revenge games, and now we get to talk about two of them this season after Aaron Jones agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal Tuesday to sign with the Vikings. He was released by the Packers on Monday after they signed former Raiders running back Josh Jacobs.
Jones, 29, spent the first seven years of his career in Green Bay. He is expected to be the lead running back in Minnesota, and Jones should be considered a low-end No. 2 Fantasy option in the majority of leagues. He's worth drafting as early as Round 6.
Jones struggled with injuries for most of the 2023 campaign, but he finished the season strong, which will hopefully carry over to his new team. He missed the majority of the first five weeks of the season due to a hamstring injury, and then he missed Weeks 12-14 while dealing with a sprained MCL.
But from Week 16 through the divisional round of the playoffs, Jones was on fire. He had five games in a row with at least 108 rushing yards, and he scored at least 13 PPR points in each outing. His best game was the wild-card victory at Dallas with 21 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns and one catch for 13 yards on one target.
With the Vikings, Jones could share touches with Ty Chandler as Alexander Mattison was released this offseason, but Jones should get the majority of work when healthy. Age and durability are reasonable concerns for Jones, but he has proven to be a do-it-all threat during his career.
Jones has four seasons on his resume with at least 47 catches and three seasons with double digits in total touchdowns. He scored 16 rushing touchdowns in 2019.
The Vikings offense will look different in 2024 with Kirk Cousins now in Atlanta, and we'll see what Minnesota ends up doing at quarterback. The Vikings reached an agreement on a one-year deal with Sam Darnold, and Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are also on the roster.
Minnesota has the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL Draft, so the Vikings could be in play for a quarterback there. But no matter the quarterback, Kevin O'Connell's offense should be productive for Jones, and this was a good landing spot after he was released in Green Bay given the expected workload.
Hopefully, Jones will stay healthy for the majority of the season. But you should expect him to play at a high level when the Vikings play the Packers twice in 2024.
