Getty Aaron Jones #33 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones enjoyed his Green Bay Packers tenure.
He will take the field on the opposing sideline for the first time in his eight-year career in Week 4.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur gave a tongue-in-cheek “who?” when asked about planning for Jones before calling him one of his “favorite players” during his presser on September 23. Asked for his reaction to the praise, Jones jokingly repeated LaFleur’s “who?”
“No, I’m just kidding,” Jones told reporters on September 25. “He got me like that.”
Jones’ return to Lambeau will be emotionally charged, with the NFL’s social media team sharing a clip of his “A Football Life Origins” episode which debuted in 2023.
.@Showtyme_33 wore a pendant with his late father’s ashes in his first game back after his passing.
What happened next was nothing short of incredible. ❤️ @NFLFilms
Jones ranks third all-time in Packers franchise history with 5,940 rushing yards and fourth with his 45 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 272 passes for 2,076 yards and 18 touchdowns.
He already has plans for his first score as a visitor.
“If you’re not thinking about the endzone, you’re thinking about the wrong thing,” Jones told reporters on September 25. “No, definitely, and I’m definitely leaping. Definitely leaping up there.
“Either [end zone]. Hopefully, there’s a Vikings fan in one of them so I can jump up to them. I think that’ll be a cool pretty cool shot, pretty cool side by side with the two jerseys doing the Lambeau leap.”
Jones scored 27 of his career touchdowns at home (28 including the 2024 season so far).
He has performed plenty of “Lambeau Leaps” and cemented his place in franchise history on and off the field.
Matt LaFleur Raves About Aaron Jones, Ready to Face Off
GettyHead coach Matt LaFleur and Aaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers.
“He’s a problem,” LaFleur told reporters on September 23. “Certainly, he’s one of my favorite players that I’ve ever had the privilege to coach. A guy like that, just in terms of how he goes about his business. And still got a lot of love for him. Just won’t have a lot of love for him when we’re playing against him.”
The Packers cut Jones over the offseason, replacing him with former Las Vegas Raiders back Josh Jacobs. Jones has rushed for 228 yards on 43 attempts with the Vikings through three weeks. His 5.4 yards per carry average is his highest since the 2020 season, his Pro Bowl campaign.
LaFleur compared Jones’ return with the Vikings to facing his brother, Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
He said you have to turn off the emotions for the game and pick back up afterward.
“It’s part of our business, and it’s an unfortunate part of our business. Because I think everybody in this building respects not only the football player but, more importantly, the person that he is,” LaFleur told media members on September 25.
“He was everything. There’s a reason he was a captain here, and he did so much for the community. And he just – I thought he always represented the organization the way you want a player to represent the organization. And he’s helped so many people and just a good positive spirit. He would always put his arm around anybody that was struggling in the locker room. I think a lot of guys truly looked up to him, and his legacy will live on forever.”
Vikings RB Aaron Jones Thanks Packers
GettyAaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers.
Jones penned a “Message to Green Bay” via the Players’ Tribune ahead of his return. He wrote about the ups and downs of his career from being a fifth-round draft pick in the 2017 draft.
Jones discussed his arrest for marijuana in 2016, signing his four-year, $48 million contract in 2021 to losing his father shortly thereafter. He spoke of the support from the franchise through each of those events and said he could never repay them but wanted to say, “thank you.”
“That’s the biggest thing I want to write here, not just to the Packers organization but really to all of Green Bay. Thank you. It’s going to feel strange being on that visiting sideline for the first time, and being on the other side of this NFC North thing in general — but it’s ALL love, and it’s so much gratitude. Thanks for “betting” on me, riding with me, hashtagging for me, and everything else,” Jones wrote on September 25. “Thanks for SEEING me.
“No G on the helmet Sunday, always one in my heart.”
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He's based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
