The Vikings may have more running back success in mind this season than running back spending.
That’s the tension hanging over Minnesota as Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason both enter the final year of their contracts. The offense is supposed to get a lift from a brand-new scheme, and if that ground game takes off, the payoff could be real. But it could also leave the Vikings staring at a costly decision when the season ends.
That question got a little louder on Friday afternoon, when the Chicago Bears agreed to a three-year, $33.75 million contract extension with $27.5 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Another NFC North back getting paid opens the door for Minnesota to consider the same kind of move if Jones or Mason breaks out.
Still, the Vikings’ recent track record points in a different direction.
New general manager Nolan Teasley’s history with the Seattle Seahawks suggests a team more comfortable finding cheaper answers than paying premium prices at running back. Minnesota’s own approach since Kevin O’Connell arrived in Minnesota tells a similar story.
The Vikings once had no hesitation about handing out major money at the position. Adrian Peterson signed a six-year, $85.2 million contract in 2011 and later a three-year, $42 million extension in 2015 before Minnesota drafted Dalvin Cook in the second round in 2017. Cook eventually landed a five-year, $63 million extension, though that deal was cut short when he was released after the 2022 season.
After that, Minnesota moved in a cheaper direction. Alexander Mattison was the fallback option, but that didn’t work out; he didn’t score a rushing touchdown on 180 carries in 2023, and seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride didn’t make it out of training camp.
Even then, the Vikings still chose a short-term route, signing Jones to a one-year, $7 million deal in the spring of 2024.
More recently, Mason signed a two-year, $10.5 million contract extension after arriving in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers before the 2025 season, while Jones signed a two-year, $20 million extension that was renegotiated to a one-year, $5 million contract for this year.
If Minnesota’s new scheme - run by offensive line coach Keith Carter and assistant head coach Frank Smith - clicks, both backs could put themselves in position to negotiate again after the season. But the Seahawks blueprint that Teasley worked under in Seattle hints at a different ending.
After Marshawn Lynch retired following the 2015 season, Seattle leaned on Chris Carson’s rookie deal. When it came time to extend him, the Seahawks only gave Carson a two-year, $10.4 million contract before a chronic neck injury ended his career during the 2021 season.
Then came the next wave. Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet were drafted in back-to-back seasons, and the pair helped Seattle win a Super Bowl. But when Walker’s contract expired, the Seahawks let him walk to the Kansas City Chiefs before taking Jadarian Price in the first round of April’s draft.
That history, combined with what the Vikings have done under O’Connell, makes the idea of a big-money extension for Jones or Mason feel less likely than it might in other places. Even if O’Connell likes Jones, Minnesota may prefer to keep its options cheaper.
Demond Claiborne could factor into that plan too. The sixth-round rookie is still a work in progress, especially in pass protection and in adjusting to NFL competition, but Jones compared him to Detroit Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs during training camp. If Claiborne keeps developing, he could carve out a larger role before long.
And if the Vikings decide Mason would cost too much to keep, they could look to next year’s draft for lower-priced help, with Florida’s Jaden Baugh, Ole Miss’s Kewan Lacy, and Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy among the names mentioned as possible options.
If the current overhaul works the way Minnesota hopes, that may be the biggest factor of all. A productive scheme could convince the Vikings they can keep finding value at running back instead of paying for it. The Bears’ extension of Swift only sharpens that choice.
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