The Minnesota Vikings have been on the lookout for a running back of the future but happened to luck out by landing Aaron Jones in March.
Last February, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis reported that the Vikings “adored” Jahmyr Gibbs, who they gave “serious consideration” in the 2023 draft. After ranking 29th in rushing yards last season, the Vikings stumbled into landing Jones and moved quickly to sign him to a one-year, $7 million deal after his surprise release from the Green Bay Packers.
Jones has relieved the need to find the franchise’s next superstar running back. However, he is 30 years old and should garner significant interest in free agency — ranked the No. 2 free agent running back in 2025 by NFL.com.
The Vikings have many roster holes to fill in the offseason and may opt to go with the more affordable route of drafting a running back, which would also be a move made for the future.
No draft-eligible running back has been linked to the Vikings more than Boise State star and Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty, most recently by Athlon Sports’ draft expert Luke Easterling.
“Aaron Jones has been solid for the Vikings this season, but he just turned 30 years old, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Minnesota looked to the future early in this draft. That would be especially true if Jeanty, a top-10 talent in this class overall, were still on the board,” Easterling wrote in a December 12 mock draft. “He’s a three-down playmaker who has put up historic numbers this season, and he checks every box when it comes to projecting stardom in the NFL.”
Ashton Jeanty’s Fit With Vikings
When looking at Jeanty’s tape, he possesses all the traits that Kevin O’Connell likes in his running backs. He runs with explosiveness. He catches the ball well out of the backfield. He can block, and he has the patience and contact balance of a veteran back.
These are all things Jones possesses. But locking in a generational talent at running back for the next four seasons in Minnesota would be the final piece to the Vikings offense.
Jones is in the twilight of his career, and running backs historically see a seismic drop-off in production after 30. Resetting at running back would give the Vikings potentially the most lethal offense in the league for either Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy moving forward.
Ashton Jeanty’s Historic Season
GettyBoise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
This year’s Maxwell Award-winner, given to the best running back in college football, Jeanty is in a league of his own. The 21-year-old’s dominance could not be denied no matter what the opponent tried to do, making him deserving as a Heisman finalist.
Jeanty totaled 2,497 rushing yards this season, the fourth-highest single-season total in FBS history, and 30 total touchdowns.
He set records for 1,889 yards after contact and 144 missed tackles forced. Jeanty frequently faced loaded boxes, running against 7+ box defenders a nation-high 266 times, per BroncosSports.com. In those attempts, he averages 6.9 yards per carry and has scored 25 touchdowns.
No matter what opposing defenses did to stop him, Jeanty was a model of consistency, becoming the first player since at least 1996 to eclipse at least 125 rushing yards in 13 consecutive games.
Not only was he difficult to stop, but he was difficult to bring down behind the line of scrimmage. Jeanty posted more rushes of 20-plus yards (24) than rushes for loss (23) this season.
The Heisman Trophy ceremony is scheduled for December 13, and while Jeanty is a longshot with the second-best odds (+1400) behind favorite Travis Hunter (-000), per FanDuel Sportsbook, he has put forth one of the greatest running back careers in college football history.
