The Denver Broncos have to find some immediate running back production in 2025, and the player who can solve this could not be more clear. No Broncos' RB was even able to hit 600 rushing yards in 2024. It was another bad year for the team's RB room, and it's clear that Denver is going to make a huge investment into the position.
The team was apparently ready to pull the trigger and sign Josh Jacobs last offseason, but Jacobs decided to sign with the Green Bay Packers. If the Broncos did make a good offer there, we could reasonably say that it was worth around $50 million.
There isn't a running back on the market this offseason who is worthy of a $50 million contract. Yes, the Broncos could explore a trade if the price is right. Players like Breece Hall or Jonathan Taylor would be fun options, but it is not clear at the moment if they would even be available in a trade.
The signing makes so much sense for the Broncos
There is one player who just makes a boatload of sense for the Broncos in 2025, and that player is Aaron Jones, who has spent his NFL career in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.
In 2024, Jones rushed for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns on 4.5 yards per carry. He's always been an efficient RB on the ground. He's also shown a strong ability as a pass-catcher, which is huge for this offense. Jones has also shared the backfield with other RBs before, so the Broncos "RB by committee" approach would be something that Jones has experienced before.
He gained 1,546 yards on offense in 2024, which was actually the second-highest total of his NFL career. He's played eight years in the NFL and has four 1,000-yard seasons and another five seasons with at least 45 receptions.
Aaron Jones has averaged 1,055 yards over a 17-game season across his career and 1,426 total yards per season over a 17-game career. On a one-year deal, Aaron Jones makes all the sense in the world for the Denver Broncos - he'll bring immediate production at a huge position of need but would still afford the Denver Broncos a legitimate shot to find a long-term solution at RB in the second or third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
There really isn't a single reason for the team to not sign Aaron Jones this coming offseason.