Aaron Jones’ potential return to the Packers comes with intriguing possibilities but with an obvious downside
Jones is 31 and has a long injury history.
Go back two years in time when the Green Bay Packers signed Josh Jacobs in free agency. For about an hour, everyone thought the offense would have a two-headed monster in the backfield with Aaron Jones, just for general manager Brian Gutekunst to end the party by releasing the fan-favorite minutes later.
Our friend Erin Alyce described it better than anyone:
Aaron Jones signed with the Minnesota Vikings, staying in the NFC North, and then extended his deal. Now, though, it sounds like his time in Minnesota is coming to an end. The rival is expected to release the running back, clearing up $8 million in cap space, if the front office is unable to find a trade partner.
That high of having Jacobs and Jones on the roster could be back on the table after all.
It’s not the same Aaron Jones anymore
The situation now is obviously different than it was in 2024. Jones is 31 and has a significant injury history, and time doesn’t tend to be friendly with running backs. After a career year in terms of workload and volume stats for the Vikings in 2024, Jones missed five games last year with hamstring and shoulder injuries.
There are also some signs of decline in terms of performance — but those are harder to quantify because the entire Vikings offense regressed in 2025. His yards after contact per attempt went down from 3.00 to 2.67, the breakaway rate decreased from 19.1% to 17.7%, and his yards per route run went down from 1.29 to 1.07.
Does Aaron Jones make sense for the Packers now?
After looking at his age and his metrics, it’s fair to wonder if the Packers would even consider signing him. Taking into account general manager Brian Gutekunst’s preference to sign younger players and his unwillingness to bring old friends back most of the time, it’s actually an unlikely reunion.
But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense or that it’s impossible to happen. The big reason is financial.
Aaron Jones was set to make $10 million from the Vikings, but $2 million of those are fully guaranteed. So Minnesota will still have to pay part of his salary. There are offsets, though, so if another team signs Jones, that number guaranteed from the Vikings will go down.
The minimum salary for a player with nine seasons of experience in the NFL will be $1.3 million in 2026. If nobody is willing to pay Jones more than $2 million, he could return to the Packers for the minimum, and the Vikings would still pay $700k.
Jones might not be the impactful offensive weapon he once was for the Packers. But getting back a player who knows Matt LaFleur’s offensive system, who is still a viable runner, and whose skill set complements well what Josh Jacobs does for the veteran minimum doesn’t sound like a bad plan.
For that price and with a one-year contract, Aaron Jones wouldn’t preclude the Packers from giving more chances to MarShawn Lloyd if he ever gets healthy, or from taking another running back in the draft. Jones would mostly occupy the spot left for Emanuel Wilson and/or Chris Brooks, who are not expected to receive a restricted free agent tender and will hit the market soon.
Even better for the Packers, Aaron Jones wouldn’t affect the compensatory pick formula because the Vikings would release him.
It’s not necessarily a season-altering discussion. But a Jacobs-Jones backfield could still be very fun to watch.
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