Kevin O'Connell confirms suspicion why the Vikings traded for Jordan Mason after signing Aaron Jones

Vikings traded for Jordan Mason to maximize Aaron Jones

The trade for Mason seemingly came out of nowhere. They gave up picks 160 and 2026 sixth-round pick that they got from trading Ed Ingram to the Houston Texans for Mason, and pick 187. It was a relatively free trade when you consider how small of a price it was.

The reason for the Mason trade was twofold: It was very inexpensive and also meant to maximize Aaron Jones.

"Yeah, I think the big thing we learned about Aaron Jones last year is he can be an every-down back," O'Connell said, per the team's official website. "He was a featured part of our offense. But what we wanted to make sure that we were doing is we were using him in a way that allowed him to be his most impactful self, which is early down run/pass game. He's got third-down value. I don't think people give him enough credit for his pass protection, either when we're dropping back or third downs, but when he has historically had that 1-A, 1-B backfield structure, he could be a total game-changer every time he touches the ball. So it was always about bringing Aaron back, huge leadership role on our team." 

The way O'Connell framed the discussion was very interesting. Jones is at his best when his workload is smaller. Having that second back to share the load with him has been huge when it comes to keeping him fresh and healthy.

They didn't just bring in a player to share the load with Jones, O'Connell talking about Mason shows how intentional they were with specifically acquiring Mason.

"Jordan Mason was a guy we played against last year. Really felt him in a zone run scheme with kind of gap compliments like the Niners do. We really felt what we were looking for was right before our very eyes: a heavy runner, slash runner, tough to tackle, gets in space and has burst and explosion to finish runs. And also a guy that probably doesn't get enough credit in his pass protection and just every down versatility. So we really aren't pigeonholed into any one particular scheme, or, you know, in the run or pass phase.

"But I do think Jordan's going to bring something to the table in those short yardage situations, those goal line situations, goal to go, where we've really left a lot to be desired as a football team, and that starts with me to make sure we improve in that area, because we certainly have improved personnel wise. I think Kwesi (Adofo-Mensah) would have a better feel for the totality of it, but I do remember it was not a quick process. It was something that we were trying to figure out what made most sense for both sides."

The versatility of Mason while also providing a complementary piece to Jones was a really smart move by the Vikings. It projects to be a really good duo for the Vikings, especially with how well they will work together.