Ex-Packers RB Aaron Jones on signing with rival Vikings: 'I just wanted to go where I felt wanted'

Aaron Jones' departure from Green Bay after seven seasons felt abrupt when it was reported on Monday. His early Tuesday agreement to join the rival Minnesota Vikings was even more jarring.

But to the 29-year-old running back, who was introduced alongside Sam Darnold and other newly inked Vikings on Thursday, the intradivision move was simply business.

"It's not strange at all. It's football," Jones said at his first Minnesota presser. "I played for many different teams growing up, middle school, high school. You change teams. You change teammates. That's part of the game."

Jones continued, "It's a part of the business. You know what you signed up for. My agent had called me before all of that happened, told me it was a possibility, so my mind was already prepared, and I just wanted to go where I felt wanted. That's here, and I'm excited to be here."

The Pro Bowl tailback was released Monday after the Packers agreed to terms with former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. The 2022 rushing champion, three years Jones' junior, signed for $12 million per year and is set to earn $14.8 million this season. Jones, slated to carry a $17.6 million cap hit in 2024, declined a pay cut, and was instead cut for good.

In Minnesota, he is joining the enemy. However, Jones says he didn't approach his short foray into free agency with any vindictiveness toward Green Bay.

"Just because they didn't re-sign me, it's not fuel to the fire. My fire's already been lit, it's gonna stay lit," Jones explained. "I'm on a mission to be the best running back in the NFL, and I'm glad I get to prove that here in Minnesota with a great organization."

Jones inked a $7 million contract to play one season with the Vikings, guaranteeing him two