Committed: GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah successfully agree terms to sign with Raiders

Committed: GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah successfully agree terms to sign with Raiders

The Minnesota Vikings could have up to 25 players from their 2024 roster hit free agency at the start of the new league year, leaving GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with some major roster decisions.

The Vikings have three of the NFL’s top pending UFAs in quarterback Sam Darnold, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and safety Cam Bynum. They also have some underrated players on that list — like running back Aaron Jones.

Jones was a boon for coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense, giving Minnesota the kind of run-pass balance that had been missing in previous seasons. Jones showed up for the Vikings every week and amassed over 1,500 scrimmage yards, and there should be mutual interest in Jones returning to Minnesota in 2025 for some unfinished business.

It’s fair to question, though, whether the Vikings will want to commit a multi-year contract to a running back now on the wrong side of 30. If Jones is looking for the biggest payday he can get on the open market, Brent Hertzenberg of The Wright Way Network predicts he will end up bolting for the Las Vegas Raiders this March. Here was his take:

This move would fill an obvious need for the Raiders, whose committee approach at running back in the wake of Josh Jacobs’ departure failed miserably in 2024. The Raiders finished the year with a league-worst 79.8 rushing yards per game, and they have the cap space needed to fix that problem this offseason.

Jones has stated his desire to finish his career with the Vikings, and the guess here is that the team will explore an extension. The one-year deal he signed with Minnesota last year included four void years, meaning the team could actually create additional salary cap savings for 2025 by either restructuring that original contract or agreeing to an extension.

Given Minnesota’s own need at running back — only Ty Chandler is currently under contract for 2025 — the team should make it a point to not only re-sign Jones, but pair him with a younger running back either in free agency or the draft.