The NFL offseason is moving towards the new league year. March 11th requires teams to be cap compliant and allows them to sign free agents to deals.
The Minnesota Vikings are among the teams with decisions to make. On Sunday, it was reported that they had made a surprising decision.
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They will release veteran running back Aaron Jones, barring an unforeseen trade offer. They have been shopping him this offseason, and interest has been minimal at best.
Sources: Vikings have informed running back Aaron Jones and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave that, barring a trade, they will be released at the start of the league year this month.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2026
Jones’ release will save the Vikings $7.75 million against the cap, Hargrave’s $10.9 million. pic.twitter.com/s5DdCTOWTX
Jones is one of two veterans the Vikings are moving on from. They also appear to be ready to move on from quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has been a major disappointment.
It is uncertain how the Vikings’ offseason will play out. They still will look to address the quarterback situation and also need to address a few more roster spots.
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The Vikings will save $7.75M in cap space with the release of Jones. Going into Sunday, they sat at over $45M over the cap limit.
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (33) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Releasing Javon Hargrave gives them savings of just under $11M, putting their total savings in these cuts around $18M.
They still have another $27M in moves needed. They can restructure some contracts and also make some more releases.
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