Tag: Aaron Jones

TRADE: Vikings acquire running back Cam Akers from the Houston Texans

The Minnesota Vikings saw what their running game turned into with Aaron Jones being hurt, and they got some insurance. 

The Minnesota Vikings saw what their running game turned into with Aaron Jones being hurt, and they got some insurance. On Tuesday, they traded for a familiar face, which was the third trade of the day for the NFL.

According to NFL Media, the Minnesota Vikings acquired running back Cam Akers from the Houston Texans. Akers signed with the Texans after spending last season with the Vikings, so he is familiar with the offense and roster.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sent the Texans a conditional 6th-round pick in 2026 in return for Akers and a conditional 7th-round pick in 2026.

Akers has run for 147 yards and found the endzone once while working in a loaded backfield in Houston. Akers was the odd man out with the team utilizing Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce.

The Vikings gave running backs Ty Chandler and Myles Gaskin every chance to earn the role in the preseason and against the Jets, but they proved to be less than ideal. Once Aaron Jones went down with his hip injury, the entire offense lost its momentum, and the Vikings could not afford that.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones (hip) returns to practice following Bye Week

 The Minnesota Vikings offense has been a well-oiled machine in 2024 with Aaron Jones, which is why his absence was concerning. 

The Minnesota Vikings offense has been a well-oiled machine in 2024 with Aaron Jones, which is why his absence was concerning. When he left the game against the Jets in Week 5, the offense lost momentum, and the question was whether he would be ready for Week 6.

We got an answer to that question on Monday at the Vikings practice.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN shared a video of Aaron Jones dressed for practice and participating as the team prepares for Week 6. His ability to play in the biggest game of the year against the Lions could make a difference for this team.

The offense sputtered without Jones in the second half against the Jets. Both Ty Chandler and Myles Gaskin played in his absence but could never get the offense going as efficiently. Jones’ work out of the backfield in pass protection and as a receiver has been underrated this year.

We will continue to monitor Jones’s status on the week’s first injury report when it is posted on Wednesday.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones considered week-to-week with hip injury

The Minnesota RB will likely be week-to-week after suffering hip injury.

The Minnesota Vikings might be 5-0 but a big reason as to why the offense has been rolling is due to the signing of running back Aaron Jones. The former Packer has established himself as one of the best in the game and has 350 yards on the ground for the Vikings’ offense.

During Sunday’s win over the New York Jets, Jones injured his hip and came out of the game in the first half. The Vikings’ offense stalled for most of the second half, and it was clear that Jones was missing. Head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that Jones would be week-to-week with his hip injury, but it does look like they’ve avoided any long-term injury.

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for Minnesota. The Vikings give Jones another week to get healthy while working tight end T.J. Hockenson back from his torn ACL he suffered last December.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones leaves game against Jets with hip injury

The Jets defense stifled the Vikings on Sunday as they face off. The offense has relied heavily on Aaron Jones this year.

The Jets’ defense stifled the Vikings on Sunday as they faced off in London. The offense has relied heavily on the run game this year, specifically Aaron Jones.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, Jones left the first quarter of the game with a hip injury. After being evaluated and tested on the sideline, he will not be returning to the game.

Jones had been averaging 116 total yards of offense through the first four weeks of the season. He was an explosive part of their offense, but now that workload will fall on Myles Gaskin and Ty Chandler.

Chandler has been running well this year when given the chance, so his earning more reps in this game could tell us how things will go without Jones.

Thankfully for Jones and the Vikings, the team has a bye week in Week 6, so he will have ample time to recover if anything serious happens.

Aaron Jones gets one final Lambeau Leap following win over Green Bay

The Vikings went into Green Bay and took down the Packers in a close contest. RB Aaron Jones went for one final Lambeau Leap.

Vikings’ running back Aaron Jones is one of the greatest backs to ever play for the Green Bay Packers. After signing Josh Jacobs from the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason, the Packers wanted to cut Jones’ salary in half — the two sides decided to part. Minnesota needed a running back and the Vikings swooped in to sign the former rival.

Jones and the Vikings traveled to Green Bay to face the Packers on Sunday. The game wasn’t close until it was. Minnesota got out to a 28-0 lead, but the Vikings recovered a last onside kick to win 31-29.

The Vikings’ first-year running back had 93 yards on 22 carries but didn’t get into the end zone. Jones said prior to the game that if he scored, he wanted to jump into the crowd for a famous Lambeau Leap. Even though he didn’t get that chance during the game, Jones and his teammates got the big win over their divisional rival and moved to 4-0 on the season —  he would rather win than score and lose.

“As we were taking that last kneel, the Packers’ defense said like, ‘We didn’t let you Lambeau Leap here,” began Jones. “‘We didn’t let you Lambeau Leap in our house.’ I was like, ‘You guys are worried about me, Lambeau Leaping? You guys should be worried about the score. I came here and got what I wanted.”

Jones said it was a full-circle moment because his years in Green Bay meant way more than just playing football. He hopes to be remembered for his off-the-field contributions to the community, and he hopes Green Bay fans will remember him for more than just playing football for the Packers.

As Jones was leaving the field, he spotted some Viking fans. For a potential last team — as he is on a one-year deal with the Vikings — Jones went for one more Lambeau Leap.

Aaron Jones beautifully took his time greeting so many Packers employees and fans after his return to Lambeau Field

Aaron Jones is a class act and so are all these Packers workers.

There was no telling how the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Jones would react in their reunion on Sunday. A long-time star running back in Green Bay, Jones now played for the enemy Minnesota Vikings, a direct rival to the Packers’ hopeful success.

Fortunately, it seems both sides never harbored much animosity in the first place.

In a video from NFL Network’s Stacey Dales, Jones is seen greeting and saying goodbye to so many Packers employees and fans long after the Vikings beat Green Bay 31-29 on Sunday. It was a beautiful display of camaraderie and appreciation of the impact one person can make on a sports organization.

We frankly don’t see this enough in pro sports of any kind:

Kudos to Jones for being a class act and remembering where he came from. Kudos to all these Packers employees and fans for understanding how much Jones gave them over the years and showing it in an appropriate manner. Even if he plays on the “other side” now.

This is what it’s all about.

Sam Darnold, Vikings lighting up Packers at Lambeau

Sam Darnold was shredding the Packers for Minnesota

Sam Darnold was making sure the Aaron Jones revenge game was going perfectly for the Minnesota Vikings and the running back.

Darnold threw three touchdown passes in the first half as the undefeated Vikings built a 28-0 lead over the Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Jordan Addison had two touchdowns in his return to the field.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones hopes to Lambeau leap on Sunday

The former Green Bay running back hopes to get into the end zone on Sunday and score leap into the stands.

It will be a reunion for Vikings’ running back Aaron Jones on Sunday when he heads back to his old stomping grounds of Green Bay. Jones, who signed a one-year deal with Minnesota this offseason, played for the Packers for seven seasons.

On Wednesday, Jones was asked if he thought about scoring against his former team. Of course he is and if he does, Jones plans on leaping like old times. He said either end zone will work and he can still get up there. He’s just hoping there will be at least one Viking fan he could jump to, but if not, he’s leaping either way.

The Vikings’ run game faltered last season after allowing Dalvin Cook to walk in free agency. But since signing Jones, he is 10th in the league with 228 yards on the ground. He also had one touchdown to his name this season, but he hopes to add to that number on Sunday against Green Bay.

Minnesota Vikings linked to wide receiver in 2025 free agency

Despite wide receiver Jalen Nailor playing well in 2024, Bleacher Report has linked the Vikings to Tyler Boyd in 2025 NFL free agency.

One of the more publicized supposed weaknesses for the Minnesota Vikings heading into the 2024 season was their situation at the third wide receiver spot. Many thought the Vikings had a big hole in their roster at the position and needed to upgrade. The Vikings’ front office thought otherwise and trusted what they had in-house with wide receiver Jalen Nailor.

Through the first three games of the season, Nailor has performed well in his position, giving the Vikings seven receptions on nine targets and turning those seven catches into 106 yards and three touchdowns. Combine that with the added receiving element out of the backfield with Aaron Jones, and the Vikings passing attack has worked well through three games — despite the absence of tight end T.J. Hockenson all season and wide receiver Jordan Addison for two games.

While Nailor has performed admirably as the team’s third option, that hasn’t stopped NFL analysts from speculating on what the Vikings may do at the position for the rest of 2024 and into 2025. Last week, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department suggested the Vikings should sign former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage to boost the core group and give them another option at WR3.

This week, the team at Bleacher Report has doubled down on their opinion that the Vikings need to get better at WR3. While they aren’t suggesting the Vikings make a move immediately this week, they have linked the Vikings to former Cincinnati Bengals and current Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tyler Boyd.

The Bleacher report argues that Boyd would be a “perfect fit” in the WR3 spot for the Vikings, as that was his primary responsibility for the Cincinnati Bengals in a wide receivers room with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Boyd has consistently been one of the better tertiary options in the league, putting up over 2,200 yards and seven touchdowns during his three seasons as the Bengals’ third option.

Boyd hasn’t gotten off to a great start with his new team, Tennessee, in an increased role. He has only gotten eight passes for 77 yards through three games with the Titans. Minnesota and their fans may not see WR3 as a need going forward, but it’s clear that the media perception begs to differ.

Aaron Jones pens letter in The Players Tribune ahead of return to Green Bay

From former Packers RB Aaron Jones: “No G on the helmet Sunday, always one in my heart.”

Former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones penned a heartfelt letter titled “A Message for Green Bay” ahead of his return to Lambeau Field as a member of the rival Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Jones posted the letter — which thanked teammates, fans and the Packers organization — at The Players Tribune.

The key line came in closing: “No G on the helmet Sunday, always one in my heart,” Jones wrote.

Jones told stories of important moments in his Packers career, including Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers both vocalizing belief in him as a rookie, the in-person and online support of fans as he ascended into a playmaker for the Packers and the widespread help given by the organization as he grieved the sudden loss of his father.

A fifth-round pick made by former Packers general manager Ted Thompson in 2017, Jones ended his decorated career in Green Bay ranked third in team history in rushing yards (5,940), fourth in rushing touchdowns (45) and seventh in total touchdowns (63).

The Packers released Jones in March. He signed with the rival Vikings and is off to a great start, producing 325 total yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns as a key part of Minnesota’s surprise 3-0 start.

This is a game Jones likely had circled: the return to Green Bay. Jones spent seven seasons with the Packers. At some point in the no-so-distant future, Jones will return to Green Bay as a new member of the Packers Hall of Fame. He’ll be wearing a rival uniform on Sunday.

Post-career accolades aside, there is football business to attend to first. The Packers and Vikings kick off from Lambeau Field at noon on Sunday.