As long as veteran running back Aaron Jones is on the roster, the question will come up whenever the Vikings play the Green Bay Packers.

Is he looking forward to playing his former team?

“I’m not going to give them any bulletin board material,” Jones said with a smile on Thursday afternoon at TCO Performance Center. “I’m confident in myself.”

In that same breath, Jones shouted out some of his former teammates, noting that he still wants to prove himself to them. He will get the chance to do that when the Vikings play host to the Packers on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“You want to gain their respect in another way by playing against them,” Jones said. “Just going to go out there and have fun and remind them who I am.”

If there were any doubt about who Jones is, he has proved it since signing with the Vikings as a free agent.

Though many were expecting him to fall off as he approaches 30 years old, Jones has shown he still has a lot left in the tank. He recently eclipsed 1,000 yards, a number he typically shoots for whenever he starts a campaign.

“It’s a great milestone to get,” Jones said. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without these guys.”

In total, Jones has 1,046 rushing yards to go along with 348 receiving yards this season. He’s been a focal point for the Vikings on offense, making life easier for quarterback Sam Darnold, helping put the Vikings in position to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

“You just get the same thing every single day,” Darnold said. “It’s incredible to have him as a teammate.”

That feeling is echoed throughout the locker room.

“He’s just a good person,” receiver Justin Jefferson said. “He always has a smile on his face. He’s always dapping up the guys and giving us words of encouragement before we’re going out there on the field. Even if he doesn’t have a ‘C’ on his chest, he’s definitely a captain in my eyes.”

The way that Jones carries himself off the field helps him make a big impact on the field. That’s been felt pretty much every time he touches the ball for the Vikings.

“He’s been a heck of a player for us,” tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “I knew him playing in this division my whole career, and playing against him a lot, I knew what he could do. We still can’t believe that he’s on our side. We love it, and we’re so fortunate to have him.”

It’s safe to assume that Jones feels the same way about being a part of the Vikings. Asked to reflect on his experience with Minnesota to this point, Jones replied, “This is probably the most fun I’ve had playing football.”

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