Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones revealed that his mother, Vurgess Jones, advocated for his benching following his two-fumble performance against the Arizona Cardinals. Jones, a Pro Bowl player, has been grappling with ball security issues, particularly since returning from a rib injury. Four of his five fumbles have occurred in the last three games.

In the recent win against the Cardinals, Jones fumbled on the opening play of both the Vikings' first two drives. Despite Head Coach Kevin O'Connell's public display of confidence in Jones, his mother expressed a different viewpoint. "She said, 'They needed to sit you down,'" Jones recounted, sharing his mother's post-game reaction. "'I don't know what's going on, but they need to take him out the game. They need to bench him right now.'" Jones acknowledged the weight of his mother's criticism, stating, "Anytime I hear it from my mom, it's going to be worse."

Jones admitted to being taken aback by his mother's bluntness. He described the exchange: "I was like, 'Ah, you know, I gotta learn from it.’ She was like, 'Well, you didn't learn last week?' I kind of didn’t know what to say." He added, with a laugh, "But it’s what I need. You know, my mom being hard on me – that was my dad for so many years, my dad's not here so now my mom’s kind of taken that role over without me asking her."

Following the Cardinals game, which marked Minnesota's fifth consecutive victory, Jones confirmed he's reviewed the game footage and aims to improve his ball security before their upcoming game against the Atlanta Falcons, led by former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.