Year 2 for head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos was outstanding. They scored a major hit with rookie quarterback Bo Nix, made the playoffs, and were a blocked field goal away from sweeping the two regular-season meetings with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Denver’s passing game performed better than expected in its first year with Nix, but the running game was a season-long disappointment. Javonte Williams was the lead running back coming into the season, but by the postseason, the Broncos cycled through him, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estimé, and Tyler Badie.
Denver never found a stable RB option, but one NFL insider has an intriguing idea Payton should think about.
ESPN Insider Names $7 Million RB for Sean Payton To Target
ESPN’s Matt Bowen recently listed his top 50 free agents available in 2025 and listed Aaron Jones as his first running back. Bowen believes Jones has the right combination of rushing and pass-catching ability to fit Payton’s offense.
Bowen called Jones “A slasher in the run game and has the dual-threat traits to catch the ball out of the backfield, with 51 receptions…for the Vikings in 2024. He is at his best in a zone run scheme that will highlight his receiving skills.”
Jones is an intriguing veteran option — ranked No. 61 in PFN’s Top 100 Free Agent Rankings — largely because his 2024 numbers weren’t bad overall. He ranked 23rd in rush success rate (40.4%) and 19th in pass success rate (56.5%). His numbers in the receiving game were solid, and he finished with 1,546 yards from scrimmage at an average of 5.1 yards per touch.
However, there were some red flags in Jones’ 2024 season. The biggest was a drop in his elusive rate to a career-low 32.9%. His rush success rate was also at a career-low 40.4%, and his yards after contact dropped to an average of three per rush for the first time since 2018.
Jones is still a more-than-solid veteran option and can be the leader of a backfield. Yet, teams should hesitate to give him a long-term deal at this point in his career. He’ll be 30 entering the 2025 season and is coming off back-to-back years where his elusiveness rate has fallen.
Jones rushed for 1,138 yards in 2024, while Denver received 1,405 yards on the ground from four running backs. The production is still there for Jones, but what price would the Broncos be willing to pay for a 30-year-old RB?
Jones signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings last offseason, the 14th-highest average per year running back contract in 2024. Both sides benefited — Jones proved he could still be a bell cow, and the Vikings won 14 games.
None of the 13 higher-paid running backs will be free agents in 2025, so Jones should be a hot name this spring. However, his age and declining elusiveness will likely limit his contract value.
Jones fits Payton’s scheme on paper, but it’s up to the Broncos to show him the money.
