Financial summary · sourced and cited
Aaron Jones contract
Aaron Jones’ 2026 contract with the Minnesota Vikings, and the full history of deals that led to it. Every figure below is cited to an independent source.
Aaron Jones' 2026 contract
- Total value
- $5,560,000
- The full one-year deal signed for the 2026 season.
- Guaranteed money
- $5,000,000
- Locked in at signing regardless of whether he is later released.
- Salary-cap charge
- $10,210,000
- What counts against the Vikings’ 2026 cap — higher than the cash paid this year.
- Dead cap if cut
- $9,800,000
- What would still count against the cap if released before 1 June.
Restructured down from the second year of his 2025 extension, which had been set to pay a $10,000,000 salary with a $14,800,000 cap number. A workout bonus of $50,000 and a per-game roster bonus worth up to $510,000 can add to the total value above if he is active for every game.
Aaron Jones contract history with the Vikings
| Entry | Team | Agreement date | Seasons | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-year restructure | Minnesota Vikings | 11 March 2026 | 2026 | $5,560,000 ($5,000,000 gtd) |
| 2025 extension | Minnesota Vikings | 9 March 2025 | 2025–2026 | $20,000,000 ($11,500,000 gtd) |
| 2024 signing | Minnesota Vikings | 12 March 2024 | 2024 | $7,000,000 ($7,000,000 gtd) |
He signed a one-year, fully guaranteed deal with Minnesota the day after Green Bay released him in March 2024, earned a two-year extension after his 1,138-yard 2024 season, then took a pay cut in March 2026 rather than be released or traded as the second year of that extension approached. UPI — 2024 signing report
Aaron Jones salary and guaranteed money explained
Contract value, guaranteed money, annual average and salary-cap charge describe different measures, and the figures above show why: his 2026 cap charge ($10,210,000) is roughly double his guaranteed money ($5,000,000), because earlier-year bonuses are spread across the cap in later seasons.
Why the headline number misleads
The total announced with a signing is the maximum over the whole term. His 2025 extension was reported as two years and $20,000,000, but by March 2026 the Vikings and Jones agreed to cut that second year down rather than pay it in full — a reminder that only the guaranteed portion is close to certain.
What "guaranteed" has to specify
The 2025 extension carried $11,500,000 fully guaranteed at signing out of $13,000,000 in total guarantees — two different figures for the same deal, depending on whether a guarantee was locked in immediately or vests on a later date.
Cap charge is a team measure
The dead-cap figure above ($9,800,000 if released before 1 June 2026) is what the Vikings would still owe against their cap even if he were cut — it is why teams often keep a restructured veteran rather than release him outright.