Aaron Jones turns 30 in December, but he still believes his best years are still ahead of him.

There are no limits for newcomer Viking

The Minnesota Vikings signed Jones in March, the team’s top free agent running back. After two consecutive seasons of rushing woes, Jones is the No. 1 prospect with the best solution, at least on paper.

And the man is confident that he fits in in Minnesota.

“I feel like I’m getting better every year, and last year I felt like I was just about to hit my best time… The last five years have kind of shown me that the game is getting slower and slower for me,” Jones said of his career profile this week.

Jones rushed for 889 yards in 11 games for the Green Bay Packers in 2023. He scored 3 touchdowns and hit the ground running in the final stretch of 2023 after being fully healthy again. The ex-Packer will form a decent RB1-RB2 duo with Ty Chandler this season and perhaps end the Vikings’ running weakness.

Jones continued: “I can see different things and I’m able to hit different holes or set up the opponents the way I want. Maybe I wasn’t able to do that before because the game was a little too fast.”

On Christmas Eve 2023, Jones transformed into a cyborg after recovering from lengthy injuries and subsequently delivered the following rushing yardage performances:

Minnesota has ranked 27th per rushing DVOA in the two consecutive seasons since Kevin O’Connell took over as head coach two years ago. The franchise desperately needs to improve its running game or risks never being able to fully unleash the offense.

The buzz about Jones this summer is nothing new. Last month, ESPN called Jones an “X-factor” player for the 2024 team. “The Vikings signed Jones for two reasons. They wanted to improve an offense that has produced the fifth-fewest yards in the NFL since coach Kevin O’Connell was hired at the start of the 2022 season. They also hoped Jones could take the pressure off whoever the team selects to replace quarterback Kirk Cousins,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert explained.

Seifert added: “That will be veteran Sam Darnold, as rookie JJ McCarthy will undergo surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee and will miss the season. Vikings running backs have averaged 939 receiving yards over the past two seasons, seventh-worst in the NFL. Since entering the NFL in 2017, Jones has the ninth-most receptions by a running back in the league (272).”

Vikings fans are not used to poor play from running backs – Adrian Peterson and Dalvin Cook were the number one picks from 2007 to 2022. They hope Jones makes good on his announcement this weekend when the purple team opens the regular season at the New York Giants.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube channel. VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis and opinions on all things purple team related, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Viking obsession dates back to 1996. Listed secret passions: Peanut butter ice cream, “The Sopranos,” Basset Hounds and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information from OverTheCap.com.