When the Minnesota Vikings visit Lambeau Field on Sunday, it will mean a little more to Aaron Jones.
The Green Bay Packers’ fifth-round pick in 2017, Jones ranks third in franchise history in rushing yards and fourth in touchdowns. While he ranks second all-time in rushing touchdowns at Lambeau Field, he will be wearing purple and gold, trying to help the Vikings enjoy their first 4-0 start since 2016.
Games like this create animosity, especially when the player and team separate on financial terms. So, when Jones took the podium earlier this week, he made sure to…praise the Packers?
“I understand it’s a business and made a lot of great relationships there,” Jones said. “I have a lot of respect for the people there, in the relationships that I’ve made there and there’s nothing but love. I understand it’s a business, and at some point, you’ve got to make business decisions.”
Well, Matt LaFleur must have disdain for a player who crossed sides in one of the NFL’s biggest rivalries.
“He’s one of my favorite players that I’ve ever had the privilege to coach, LaFleur said. “Just in terms of how he goes about his business, and I still got a lot of love for him.”
Okay, maybe Sunday’s game doesn’t have the feel of the steel cage matches Jones dabbles in in his spare time. But “The Aaron Jones Revenge Tour” has been a thing in the minds of Vikings fans, and it’s a significant contributor to their fast start.
When the Vikings hired Kevin O’Connell in 2022, Dalvin Cook put up RB1 numbers with 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. However, his 47.3% success rate – defined by Pro Football Reference as the frequency with a running back picks up 40% of yards needed on first down, 60% of yards needed on second down, and 100% of yards needed on third or fourth down – ranked 37th out of 46 qualifying runners.
With a $14 million cap hit, the Vikings attempted to get younger, cheaper, and more efficient in the backfield. Alexander Mattison was the next man up. However, his 45% success rate ranked 38th among 48 qualifying runners, leading to his release in March.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if Mattison’s release had led to Ty Chandler assuming the starting role. However, Chandler has an identical success rate to Mattison, which would have left the Vikings searching for an upgrade. Big names such as Saquon Barkley and D’Andre Swift were too expensive, and a weak running back class made taking a back in the draft an act of desperation.
That’s when the Packers dropped a gift from the football heavens into their laps. Jones was the league’s most efficient running back, posting a success rate of 62% last season. He also posted a success rate of over 50% in six of his seven seasons in Green Bay. Still, he remained underrated, with only one Pro Bowl selection.
Perhaps that and a blend of injuries made the Packers ask Jones to take a pay cut for the second straight year. When Jones declined, the Vikings signed him to a one-year, $7 million contract less than 24 hours later, adding to the rich history of former Packers jumping across the Mississippi River.
Not all “revenge tours” are created equal in this rivalry. Ryan Longwell’s defection gave the Vikings a reliable kicker through the late 2000s. Brett Favre’s tenure in purple led them to the NFC Championship game in 2009 and a total implosion the following year. Greg Jennings came over and was one of the biggest free-agent busts in franchise history. Za’Darius Smith gave the Vikings eight games before getting banged up and grumbling about his contract.
However, Jones has been a success. He has run for 228 yards and a touchdown. Still, his 64.3% success rate ranks third among running backs behind Carson Steele (69.2%) and Chuba Hubbard (67.6%).
Jones also has added a pair of new elements to the backfield. His 4.02 yards after contact ranks fifth among qualifying running backs this season and is an upgrade over Mattison’s (2.76) and Chandler’s (2.86) numbers from 2023.
He has also breathed life into Minnesota’s dormant screen game, averaging 7.67 yards per route run on screen passes in the first three games. By comparison, Mattison had just 1.86 yards per route run on screen passes in 2023, and Cook averaged 2.90 yards per route run on screen concepts in 2022.
With the Vikings averaging roughly five yards a carry on first down, O’Connell has opened the playbook and made life easier for Sam Darnold. The biggest improvement has been in the play-action game, where Darnold’s 91.3 PFF grade ranks second behind Jayden Daniels, and how Jones has been a boost to the running game and the entire offense.
There’s just a little edge that Jones’ revenge tour has been missing. But if Jones continues his success, he might visit the end zone and open one door that former Packers-turned-Vikings have seldomly opened.
“I’m definitely leaping,” Jones said, referring to the famed Lambeau Leap. “Hopefully, there’s a Vikings fan in [the end zone] so I can jump up to them. I think that’ll be a pretty cool shot. A pretty cool side-by-side with the two jerseys.”
There it is. The Aaron Jones Revenge Tour is alive and well.
