The Minnesota Vikings hit towering home runs with their free agent acquisitions of quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones last offseason, both of whom the team signed to one-year deals.
And while both signings still look fantastic as the franchise prepares to take on the Detroit Lions in Week 18 for the NFC North Division title and the No. 1 seed in the conference, a somber reality is also setting in — both men are going to want to get paid this March and both of them are going to deserve it.
The Vikings are in a great place financially heading into 2025 with more than $78 million in projected salary cap space, according to the most recent calculations from Spotrac. Still, if the team has to make a decision between one or the other, the 27-year-old quarterback is far more likely to remain in purple and gold than the 30-year-old running back whose injury history the Vikings must manage in both how — and how much — they utilize him.
Minnesota’s 2025 draft picks are exceedingly thin with just one first-round selection and two fifth-rounders as of early November. Considering how important it will be to have a quality running back alongside Darnold and/or J.J. McCarthy next season, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. listed the Vikings among a small group of organizations he thinks will be in play to draft Boise State standout Ashton Jeanty in the first round.
“Jeanty could easily get picked in the 10-15 range. The elite talents still go quickly, and Jeanty falls into that category,” Kiper wrote on Monday, December 30. “I also think the Vikings and [Pittsburgh] Steelers could make the move if Jeanty slides a little bit. They both have pending free agents at RB1 right now in [Jones] and Najee Harris, respectively.”
Ashton Jeanty Produced Near-Historic Season at Boise State
Also among Kiper’s contenders to draft Jeanty are the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.
Any and all would probably be happy to have him, after Jeanty finished the season as the best player on a College Football Playoff team that earned a bye through the first round.
He rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 TDs on the season, falling just 27 yards short of Barry Sander’s all-time collegiate rushing record. Jeanty also finished second in Heisman Trophy voting in 2024.
Aaron Jones Great for Vikings in 2024, Also Expendable
To the surprise of no one, Jones has been a leader in the Vikings’ huddle and locker room since coming over from the Green Bay Packers ahead of this season.
He has put up 1,093 rushing yards (4.5 yards per carry) and 5 TDs on the ground along with 46 receptions for 378 yards and 2 receiving TDs across 16 games played in 2024. That performance has rendered Jones well worth the $7 million Minnesota spent to acquire him in free agency.
Spotrac projects his market value at just $5.4 million over a new one-year agreement in 2025, though Jones is liable to seek, and likely find, either more money than that for next season and/or a multiyear contract with more guaranteed salary than $5.4 million over the life of the deal — given how well he performed and his relative health.
If Jeanty falls to the Vikings somewhere in the mid-20s or early-30s in the draft, he is certain to earn less annually than either figure — $7 million or $5.4 million — and could represent huge value alongside Darnold who will almost certainly return on a much steeper long-term contract for seasons to come.
