Aaron Jones

Jones was born in Savannah, Georgia, to Vurgess and Alvin Jones Sr., both of whom served as career non-commissioned officers and sergeant majors in the United States Army. Because of his parents' military assignments, Jones lived in Germany, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and El Paso, Texas, alongside his twin brother Alvin Jr., older brother Xavier, and sister Chelsirae. He has a son, Aaron Jr., and maintains close ties to his extended family, including his cousin Tristen Newton, who played college basketball at UConn.

Throughout his professional career, Jones has honored his upbringing and his late father, Alvin Sr., who passed away in April 2021. Jones frequently wore Oakley sunglasses and a Green Bay-themed sombrero as a tribute to El Paso, and he celebrates touchdowns by flashing the numbers nine, one, and five to represent the city's area code. In 2018, Jones completed his degree in multidisciplinary studies at UTEP to fulfill a promise made to his parents. Alongside his twin brother Alvin, he founded the A&A All the Way Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting youth and military families.

Jones attended Burges High School in El Paso, where he excelled on both offense and defense. As a senior, he rushed for more than 1,800 yards and scored 30 touchdowns while adding 74 tackles and two forced fumbles at defensive back, earning Class 4A All-State recognition and District MVP honors.

Jones committed to the UTEP Miners, playing under head coach Sean Kugler from 2013 to 2016. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, rushing for 127 yards and two touchdowns in his debut against New Mexico. As a sophomore in 2014, he ran for 1,321 yards and 11 touchdowns. Despite missing most of the 2015 season due to an ankle injury, he returned in 2016 to post 1,773 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, highlighted by a 301-yard, four-touchdown performance against North Texas. Jones concluded his college career as UTEP's all-time leader in rushing yards with 4,114 and 100-yard rushing games with 17.

Selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the 182nd overall pick, Jones earned playing time early in his rookie year and scored four rushing touchdowns. In 2018, he led the NFL with 5.5 yards per carry, tallying 728 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

Jones enjoyed a breakout season in 2019, starting all 16 regular season games and rushing for 1,084 yards. He co-led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns and tied for the league lead with 19 total touchdowns from scrimmage. He followed up with a Pro Bowl campaign in 2020, rushing for 1,104 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. In March 2021, Jones signed a four-year contract extension with the Packers and continued to produce as both a runner and receiver, recording a career-high 1,121 rushing yards in 2022.

During the 2023 postseason, Jones ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round, tying the Packers franchise playoff record for single-game rushing scores. In the subsequent Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers, he ran for 108 yards, becoming the first player in Green Bay's franchise history to record five consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He was released in March 2024, concluding his time in Green Bay ranked third on the franchise's all-time rushing list.

In March 2024, Jones joined the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year deal. He served as the primary starting back throughout the 2024 season, starting all 17 games and setting single-season career highs with 255 carries and 1,138 rushing yards, while adding 51 receptions for 408 receiving yards and seven total touchdowns. During Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks, he became just the third running back in Vikings history to rush for 1,000 yards in his first season with the franchise.

Jones agreed to a contract extension with Minnesota ahead of the 2025 season and was named a team captain. Despite missing time due to a hamstring injury, he returned to surpass 10,000 career yards from scrimmage and helped power the Vikings' offense through the remainder of the regular season.