Vikings acquire running back to pair with Aaron Jones

Vikings gave up a 2026 sixth-round pick and swapped late-rounders to acquire Jordan Mason, whose numbers are pointing upward

© Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

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By Matthew Coller

The Minnesota Vikings got a lot out of Aaron Jones in 2024. The former Green Bay Packer touched the ball 306 times for 1,546 yards. As impressive as that might be, it was also a really heavy workload for a 30-year-old running back. On Saturday night, the Vikings acquired somebody to give Jones a hand in the backfield in 2024: San Francisco 49ers RB Jordan Mason.

The Vikings traded a 2026 sixth-round pick and swapped pick 160 for pick 187 in this year’s draft to acquire Mason and then signed him to a two-year deal worth up to $12 million with $7 million guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Always and forever, NFL teams will try to get the players who crush them in head-to-head matchups. In last year’s Vikings win over the 49ers, Mason ran the ball 20 times and gained 100 yards, nearly 70% of which came after first contact.

Filling in for Christian McCaffrey for a significant chunk of 2024 before suffering injuries of his own, Mason rushed 153 times for 789 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and ranking 10th in the NFL in yards after contract per rush.

That isn’t the only statistical area in which the 223-pound power runner impressed. He had only two fewer explosive runs (23) of 10+ yards than Jones despite carrying the ball 102 fewer times. NFLNextGen tracking stats ranked Mason third in the NFL in Rushing Yards Over Expected, only behind superstars Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry.

Mason’s expected yards were influenced by the fact he was facing 8-man boxes at an extremely high rate of 33.3% of attempts. That should come as no surprise because the 49ers use big personnel groupings and faced injuries at wide receiver, allowing opposing teams to put extra men up front and dare Brock Purdy to throw. Jones rarely faced loaded boxes (18.4% of attempts) because he did not often run in short yardage and because the threat of downfield passing to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison caused the opposition to play two safeties deep over the top. It will be much harder for defenses to stack boxes against Mason now that he’s in purple.

But the Vikings do need Mason to improve their short yardage numbers. Last year with between 1-3 yards to go, Jones gained 2.9 yards per carry and only picked up 23 first downs on 42 attempts. Mason averaged 5.3 yards per carry with 1-3 yards to go and got 13 of 23 first downs.

Even with the ROYE stats, we do have to factor in San Francisco’s run blocking into the equation for Mason’s success. The 49ers were graded by PFF as the second best run blocking team in the NFL whereas the Vikings finished 14th.

That is a gap the Vikings have made efforts to close this offseason. They signed two offensive linemen in Will Fries and Ryan Kelly, both of whom led the Colts’ efforts on the ground in recent years, and they will get Christian Darrisaw back from an ACL tear.

Darrisaw’s return can’t be overstated in its importance. Before getting hurt, Darrisaw ranked seventh by PFF in run blocking. He has rated in the past as high as third (2022) over a full season. That’s an enormous difference from fill-in Cam Robinson, who was 43rd of 60 overall in 2024.

Mason gives the Vikings more edge, more flexibility in the backfield and a younger RB (he turns 26 in May) to build with over the next few years. He also allows the Vikings to avoid using a high draft pick on a running back in order to fill the important RB2 spot behind Jones.

Free agency offered very few options for the Vikings to find a partner for Jones. Players like NaJee Harris and Rico Dowdle found homes within the last week, leaving only a handful of players with any level of success in the past. Trading for Mason was a far preferrable option to most of the remaining RBs.

Had the Vikings been blessed with more capital for the upcoming draft, they might have chosen to spend a luxury pick on a player coming out this year but they only have the 24th and 97th picks in the top 100. Getting Mason at very low cost opens them up to draft other key positions like cornerback or guard or simply draft the best players available rather than aiming to fill needs with picks.

Mason also represents another key part of the offseason that goes beyond just improving from their 28th-ranked run game in Expected Points Added. He is here to bolster the supporting cast around JJ McCarthy (assuming he’s QB1). Nothing makes the life of a young quarterback easier than a successful run game, just ask Brock Purdy in 2023. The Vikings want to be in favorable down-and-distances rather than forcing their first-rime starting quarterback to play hero, as they so often did with Sam Darnold in 2024.

Less than one week into free agency, the Vikings have overhauled the roster to fix the major weaknesses that they had at the interior of the defensive and offensive lines and in the backfield. They have added depth at corner and linebacker and brought back their defensive captain Harrison Smith. With a bunch of key players in their prime already in place, the Vikings have made their case as having a roster that can compete in overall strength with the best in the NFC.

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