If the Minnesota Vikings decided to cut Aaron Jones pre June 1st, they would save around $7.8 million. While there would still be $6.8 million leftover in dead money, gaining that $7.8 million is essential to the team. Spending could be directed towards bolstering the cornerback or offensive line rooms, both of which were points of struggle for the 2025 Vikings. With RB Jordan Mason still under contract for the 2026 season, his experience as a veteran could be complimented with young, cheap talent from the draft. 31-year-old RB Aaron Jones is currently set to enter his tenth season in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. In the 2025 season, Jones ran for 548 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Since his first season with the Green Bay Packers in 2017, Jones has only carried for less yards once and has never had a lower YPC than 4.5. Despite the fact that Jones suffered a hamstring injury at the beginning of the season, it is evident that his age is impacting his performance.
In 2026, Aaron Jones’ $14,550,000 cap hit is set to be the third highest for all running backs. Based on his performance in the 2025 season, there is no justification for Jones to be impacting Minnesota’s cap to this extent. Notable players such as Christian McCaffery and Saquon Barkley have a significantly smaller cap hit, and their value on-field balances their grand contracts. McCaffery ran for 1202 yards and Barkley ran for 1140 yards, both running more than double the yards than Jones did. With a 4.61% cap charge in 2026, it is clear that there must be some changes with Jones’ current position.
If the Minnesota Vikings decided to cut Aaron Jones pre June 1st, they would save around $7.8 million. While there would still be $6.8 million leftover in dead money, gaining that $7.8 million is essential to the team. Spending could be directed towards bolstering the cornerback or offensive line rooms, both of which were points of struggle for the 2025 Vikings. With RB Jordan Mason still under contract for the 2026 season, his experience as a veteran could be complimented with young, cheap talent from the draft.
