Sources: Vikings to trade or cut Jones, Hargrave

Sources: Vikings to trade or cut Aaron Jones, Javon Hargrave --> Skip to main content Skip to navigation < > Menu ESPN scores Sources: Vikings to trade or cut Jones, Hargrave Minnesota Vikings 8m Kevin Seifert MSU's Thompson blazes combine-best 4.26 in 40 Mississippi State Bulldogs 17h Jeff Legwold Jerry sees Cowboys spending more in free agency Dallas Cowboys 2d Todd Archer Falcons asst. fired amid sex assault investigation Atlanta Falcons 2d Marc Raimondi Green, top-10 QB prospect, sets combine records Arkansas Razorbacks 20h Jeff Legwold OL Mauigoa: Facing Bain, Mesidor fueled growth Miami Hurricanes 23h Stephen Holder Polarizing QB Pavia not toning it down at combine Vanderbilt Commodores 2d Stephen Holder NFL salary cap hits new high of $301.2M in 2026 2d Kiper's new NFL mock draft heading into the combine: Which teams could land a playmaker in Round 1? Arizona Cardinals 5d Mel Kiper Jr. Where would Fernando Mendoza rank among QBs drafted in Round 1 over the past five years? Jacksonville Jaguars 1d Matt Miller Will the Browns make a big move at quarterback in NFL free agency? Cleveland Browns 6h Daniel Oyefusi Why the Patriots may not make any big free agency splashes 5h Mike Reiss Why the Jets could use No. 2 pick on a pass rusher 5h Rich Cimini Will Seahawks re-sign Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III? 4h Brady Henderson Giants contemplate futures of Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux 4h Jordan Raanan Let's match NFL free agents to all 32 teams: Ideal landing spots for the biggest names Arizona Cardinals 2d Aaron Schatz NFLPA 2026 report cards: See the results for all 32 teams Arizona Cardinals 3d Kalyn Kahler Wetzel: In search of NFL's fact-finding mission on Giants owner Tisch New York Giants 2d Dan Wetzel Future fantasy stars? 12 prospects to track at the NFL combine 3d Liz Loza 2026 NFL franchise tag updates: Cowboys tag George Pickens, Falcons tag Kyle Pitts Sr. Atlanta Falcons 2d NFL Nation Super Bowl 2027 on ESPN: Date, location, venue, more details 17d ESPN Sources: Vikings to trade or cut Aaron Jones, Javon Hargrave Kevin Seifert Mar 1, 2026, 12:01 PM ET Close Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia. Follow on X Multiple Authors Email Print Open Extended Reactions EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings have begun whittling down their salary cap deficit by informing veteran running back Aaron Jones Sr . and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave that they will be released later this month barring a trade, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday. The moves will save the team $18.65 million in cap space. Entering the weekend, the Vikings were roughly $43 million over the NFL's $301.2 million cap, the result of two consecutive years of heavy free agent spending. Other candidates for contract termination include defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and center Ryan Kelly . It's also possible that the Vikings could lower the cap number of other players via either contract extensions or restructures, a list that includes receiver Justin Jefferson , right tackle Brian O'Neill and tight end T.J. Hockenson . Jones, 31, spent two seasons with the Vikings after playing his first seven years in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. He produced career highs in touches (306), carries (255), offensive snaps (700) and rushing yards (1,138) during the 2024 season, but injuries caught up to him in 2025. He played in 12 games and managed only 548 rushing yards and 747 total yards from scrimmage, both the lowest in his career since he was a rookie in in 2017. A beloved and respected member of Vikings' locker room, Jones was essentially the team's No. 2 running back behind Jordan Mason and was set to earn $10 million in 2026, with a cap number of $14.8 million. Hargrave, meanwhile, signed a two-year contract last year with the Vikings after recovering from a torn right triceps that cut short his 2024 season with the San Francisco 49ers. He started 15 games at age 33 but managed only 3.5 sacks and was set to earn $15 million with a cap number of $21.7 million for the 2026 season.