The Green Bay Packers shockingly cut Aaron Jones on Monday and by Tuesday he was already with a new team. That team? None other than the Packers’ NFC North Rival, the Minnesota Vikings.
Aaron Jones Not Phased by Team Change
Jones met with the Vikings media for the first time on Thursday, where he talked about how he didn’t think it was strange going to a long-time rival team.
“It’s not strange at all,” Jones said. “It’s football. I’ve played for many different teams growing up. Middle school, high school, you change teams, you change teammates. That’s part of the game.”
The 29-year-old signed a one-year, $7M deal with Minnesota after abruptly being cut from Green Bay after seven years with the organization. This came after the Packers signed Josh Jacobs to a deal, basically leaving Jones in the dust.
“It’s part of the business, you know what you sign up for,” Jones said when asked about the time of his quick release. “My agent had called me before all of that had happened and told me it was a possibility. My mind was already prepared and I just wanted to go somewhere I was wanted.”
Jones said he’s never really surprised about what goes on in the league, as it’s a business and things need to keep rolling.
“I’m never surprised by what goes on in the league,” Jones said. “The longer you stay the more crazier stuff you’ll see…Nothing really catches me by surprise in this league anymore.”
In seven seasons with the Packers, Jones rushed for 5,940 yards and 45 touchdowns. The veteran running back will now play alongside Ty Chandler, hoping Jones can be the well-needed boost for Chandler after a struggling 2023 season. Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell had nothing but positive things to say about Jones on Thursday.
“I’ve always been a huge Aaron Jones fan,” O’Connell said. “Running the football, his ability to impact the game in the pass game, the poise, the demeanor and the leadership that was very, very visible from an opposing sideline…I think he enhances our [running back] room, more than just an addition of another running back, it’s how he fits his skillset with Ty and our other runners in the room.
“He’s a complete back from a standpoint of a guy that’s played a lot of football. He is 29 years old but he’s also been a part of an offense where he hasn’t had to carry the full burden, the full load. And the impact on third down as a pass protector, a receiver out of the backfield. Five yards per carry career average, I mean this is a guy that’s had the type of impact we were looking for to add to our room.”
The Anticipated Trip to Green Bay
The next time Aaron Jones returns to Green Bay will be in purple and gold, possibly sporting a new purple sombrero. Jones said that he’s looking forward to the trip, and said it’s going to be fun heading back to Lambeau.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’ve played in hostile situations, hostile areas but to me at the end of the day it just going to be a ball,” Jones said. “I’m going back to where I used to play at.” He then departed his press conference with an enthusiastic SKOL chant, letting Vikings fans know he’s for real.