Jordan Mason is forcing the Vikings to take a harder look at their backfield.
Two weeks into training camp in Eagan, the 27-year-old has been one of the loudest performers on the field, and his work is landing at exactly the right time for a Minnesota rushing attack that’s being reshaped around him. He was back in the mix again on Friday, grinding through drills at TCO Performance Center, another familiar sight in what has already become a strong camp for the running back.
The numbers from last season help explain why Minnesota is paying attention. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Mason finished with a 56% success rate, a mark that trailed only four running backs around the league who handled a similar workload: Buffalo’s James Cook, the Rams’ Kyren Williams, Dallas’s Javonte Williams and Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt.
This summer, he’s kept it going. Yahoo Sports’ look at roster battles credited Mason with 3.5 yards per carry after contact in camp, calling it “a massive amount of success” and naming him the running back most likely to complicate the Vikings’ rotation plans.
The fit is about more than just hot camp tape. Minnesota brought in Frank Smith as assistant head coach this offseason after four seasons on Mike McDaniel’s staff in Miami, where Smith helped run an outside-zone system from the same coaching branch that McDaniel and Kyle Shanahan developed in San Francisco. That connection matters because Mason spent his first four NFL seasons in that exact 49ers system before the Vikings traded for him last year.
Jared Smola of Draft Sharks noted Mason’s reaction when a reporter asked how closely the new offense matched what he had in San Francisco: he smiled. Draft Sharks also said Mason averaged 5.3 yards per carry across his first three NFL seasons in that system.
The praise hasn’t stopped there. On a recent episode of the Purple Daily Podcast, one host said Mason’s movement and running style make him “a fit in the new run scheme that the Vikings have with their new wide zone concepts.” A to Z Sports writer Tyler Forness has echoed that view twice this offseason, writing that Mason “thrives in wide zone concepts” and that his ability to break arm tackles at 5-foot-11, 223 pounds is exactly what the scheme wants.
That doesn’t erase Aaron Jones from the picture, though. Jones still has the edge as a receiver, catching 28 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown last season, and that’s a big reason he remains the likeliest name to open camp as the starter in most previews. Mason led the Vikings’ backfield in production last year, but the two backs bring different things to the table.
Jones turns 32 in December and played in only 12 games last season, so Minnesota may be better served leaning into a true rotation rather than forcing one lead back into every situation. Mason could handle the early-down pounding while Jones stays fresh for passing downs and the stretch run.
There’s also reason to think the run game itself is set up for a better season. Christian Darrisaw is back at left tackle after injury, and Vikings.com pointed out that Minnesota is building on a 2025 season in which it averaged 4.5 yards per carry, the best figure of Kevin O’Connell’s four years as head coach.
Pro Football Focus ranked Jones 29th among starting running backs this spring, per A to Z Sports, and some analysts have openly wondered whether Mason might be the Vikings’ long-term answer at the position.
Public practices run through the weekend at TCO Performance Center, including Sunday’s session at TCO Stadium. What Mason does over the rest of camp may decide whether Minnesota starts the season with a clear No. 1 back or a legitimate two-man setup.
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