Biggest remaining offseason priority for each NFC team as Vkings pathways with Ace to join 49ers to fill up the position
Much of the 2024 offseason is in the rearview mirror, with a majority of top free agents off the market and the draft complete. However, there are still pressing matters for each team to address before the ’24 NFL season kicks off on Sept. 5.
Jefferson deserves a massive, market-setting payday. We know it. He knows it. The Vikings have acknowledged it. It’s all in the details. Earlier in the offseason, there were projections that had JJ landing somewhere between top-paid WR Tyreek Hill’s $30 million per year and Nick Bosa’s $34 million per year as the non-QB with the highest average annual salary. With recent receiver deals already bridging that gap — A.J. Brown inked a $32-million-per-year deal — it might take making Jefferson the new highest-paid non-QB to get a deal done. The Vikings might not love that idea, but with the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase also looking at securing deals, it feels inevitable one of them gets close to or passes Bosa.
It’s likely not going to matter how many times Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch or any player dismisses the rumors about the receiver room. They’ll continue to come. Until or unless the Niners lock up Brandon Aiyuk to a massive deal that works for multiple years, the questions will be asked ad nauseam. It’s simply how the world turns. See a storyline: pound it into oblivion. Unless Aiyuk is willing to sit out the season, it makes no sense for the Niners to break up their stud WR corps. Any assets obtained in a trade now likely won’t help lift a Lombardi Trophy in February 2025. The Niners should keep the core together, shrug at bi-weekly questions on the topic and continue to dice up defenses. It might stink for Aiyuk in the short term. The second-team All-Pro is worth well more than his $14.1 million salary in 2024, but he could be staring at a $30 million-per-year payday if he gets to the market in ‘25. The question is whether he will sit out if he doesn’t get it this year in San Francisco.
In an era where running backs have rarely been valued less, the Minnesota Vikings are betting big that Aaron Jones can become a focal point of the offense.
The Vikings signed Jones shortly after the Green Bay Packers moved on from the veteran running back, in favor of adding Josh Jacobs to quarterback Jordan Love’s supporting cast.
Jones battled through myriad injuries during his final season in Green Bay, resulting in the fourth-lowest statistical output of his career.
Last season, Jones rushed for just 656 yards with two touchdowns, while appearing in only 11 games.
Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker put together a list of each team’s most likely bounce-back player for the 2024 season, including predicting Jones for the Vikings.
“Jones mustered 889 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns last year,” Locker writes for PFF. “Primarily because he missed six games with hamstring and knee injuries. At the same time, his numbers after contact and in receiving efficiency were largely on par with the past few years, where he was one of the top backfield weapons in football. Plus, Jones earned four straight games with a grade above 80.0 as the season wound down, presumably as he got healthier.
