Report: The Vikings will sign RB Aaron Jones to a 1-year, deal

Based on the reporting on the subject, Minnesota’s offer was not much more than Green Bay’s final offer — which was rejected on Friday.

It took less than 24 hours for running back Aaron Jones to find a new team. Just one day after the Green Bay Packers moved on from the ball carrier, he has agreed to sign a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jones’ new contract will be worth $7 million. That’s a notable number, as the Packers were due to pay Jones $12 million in 2024 before ultimately settling on releasing the back. Per several reports over the last few days, Green Bay’s front office asked Jones to take a pay cut in the 50 percent range, meaning that the Packers’ offer was only about a million dollars short of what the Vikings gave him.

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky added that the Packers did not plan on handing running back Josh Jacobs, who agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract yesterday, a big deal in free agency. It wasn’t until Jones’ representation turned down the Packers’ final pay cut offer that the team began to look at the veteran running back market, according to Demovsky.

Per Demovsky’s report, the Packers believed that Jones would consider a pay cut as late as last week, though, agent Drew Rosenhaus eventually turned down the offer on Friday. Whether or not either party regrets not pushing harder to make things work is up for debate.

Either way, Jones is now expected to be the number-one back for the Packers’ divisional rivals, as the combination of Ty Chandler, Cam Akers and Kene Nwangwu don’t pose much of a threat to Jones — even as he nears 30 years old. Jones now joins the likes of Brett Favre, Greg Jennings and Za’Darius Smith, scorned lovers who jumped to the other side of the rivalry after a stint in Green Bay.