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Why Jordan Mason is a perfect addition to the Minnesota Vikings’ backfield

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Why Jordan Mason is a perfect addition to the Minnesota Vikings’ backfield


The Vikings aren’t messing around when it comes to fixing a running game that has struggled during the first three years of the Kevin O’Connell era.

Last week, they brought back Aaron Jones on a two-year extension before he could hit free agency, then upgraded the interior of their offensive line by signing former Colts standouts Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. And on Saturday night, they went out and acquired running back Jordan Mason from the 49ers, landing an underrated player who is the perfect complement to Jones in their backfield.

The Vikings traded a 2026 sixth-round pick and a pick swap this year (No. 160 overall for No. 187 overall) to San Francisco for Mason. Because they got a 2026 sixth-rounder from the Texans in Thursday’s Ed Ingram trade, they essentially traded Ingram (a player who was no longer in their plans) and moved down just 27 spots in this year’s draft to land Mason, who is reportedly signing a two-year deal with the Vikings with over $7 million guaranteed and a maximum value of $12 million.

This is an outstanding move from GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah that really solidifies an excellent 1-2 punch in the Vikings’ backfield, which should do wonders for young quarterback J.J. McCarthy and the entire offense. Minnesota could still draft a running back in April, but that’s no longer a significant need, which will allow Adofo-Mensah and company to take a true best player available approach with the team’s selections.

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Mason, a former undrafted free agent who turns 26 in March, could be a multi-year fixture at running back for the Vikings moving forward. He broke out last year with 789 rushing yards, 91 receiving yards, and three touchdowns for the 49ers, stepping in as their lead back while Christian McCaffrey was injured. Across a three-year career, he’s averaged 5.3 yards per carry. But the box score numbers don’t tell the whole story of how effective Mason was last season.

Last year, Derrick Henry led NFL running backs with 1.77 rush yards over expected per attempt, a Next Gen Stats metric that attempts to measure how much yardage a back gains on a given play relative to what you’d expect based on the blocking and other factors. Saquon Barkley was second at 1.62 RYOE per attempt. In third place, at 1.38, was Mason. Only two other players (Chuba Hubbard and Jerome Ford) were above 1.0 in that statistic.

Mason generated his production despite facing eight-plus defenders in the box 33.3 percent of the time, according to NGS. Gus Edwards and Derrick Henry were the only other backs to see at least eight defenders stacked in the box on at least 33 percent of their rush attempts. Pro Football Focus charted Mason with 3.35 yards generated after contact per attempt, which was tied for 12th-best among the 72 running backs who had at least 50 carries last season.

Mason brings a blend of explosiveness, power, vision, and agility to the Vikings’ offense. He has a quick first step with the ball, but he also plays with great contact balance, which allows him to shed tacklers and continue gaining yardage. He’s a bigger back who is listed at 5’11”, 223 pounds, which is part of why he’s such a good complement to Jones (5’9″, 208). He runs with a very physical style and is a much more dynamic version of previous Vikings power backs like Alexander Mattison and Latavius Murray.

The Vikings have particularly struggled to run the ball in short-yardage situations and in the red zone, and Mason should help quite a bit in those areas. He only has 14 career receptions, but he’s capable in that regard. His size also helps him in pass protection, which is important in O’Connell’s offense.

Jones had a career-high 306 touches for over 1,500 yards from scrimmage last season, but he was at his best during his Packers career when paired with a powerful back like Jamaal Williams or A.J. Dillon. The Vikings will have the classic thunder and lightning backfield dynamic in 2025. Mason could potentially even see more playing time than Jones on early downs if he’s able to maintain his incredible efficiency from last season. Adding Mason also gives the Vikings insurance in case Jones has to miss any time. The 30-year-old veteran played in all 17 games last season, but not without getting banged up on a couple occasions.

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The Vikings could’ve waited until the draft and grabbed a running back to round out their backfield. But they don’t have many picks, and rookies at any position are always a bit of an unknown. Instead, they went out and got a proven option who had some of the best advanced metrics among all running backs in the NFL last season — and for a pretty low price in both trade compensation and future salary. That’s good business from Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings, whose offense is looking rather scary heading into next season.

Stay up to date on all things Vikings by bookmarking Minnesota Vikings On SI, subscribing to our YouTube channel, and signing up to receive our free Vikings newsletter.





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Minnesota Wild Recalls Defenseman David Špaček From Iowa | Minnesota Wild

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Minnesota Wild Recalls Defenseman David Špaček From Iowa | Minnesota Wild


SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled defenseman David Špaček (SPAH-chehk) from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Špaček, 22 (2/18/23), owns 19 points (3-16=19), 61 shots and 10 penalty minutes (PIM) in 35 games with Iowa this season, leading the team in assists (T-12th among AHL defensemen) and ranking second in points and shots. The 6-foot, 190-pound native of Columbus, Ohio, recorded 31 points (4-27=31), 31 PIM and 117 shots in 72 games with Iowa during the 2024-25 season, leading the team with 18 power play assists, ranking second in assists, and pacing team defensemen in scoring. For his career, Špaček owns 62 points (10-52=62), 62 PIM and 251 shots in 168 games over three AHL seasons (2023-26).

Špaček will represent Czechia at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic games and has previously represented Czechia at multiple international competitions, including the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded two assists in eight games, and the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he posted five assists in 10 games to help Czechia secure gold. He also helped Czechia to a silver medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Tournament, recording eight points (3-5=8), 11 shots and a plus-7 rating in seven games.

Špaček was selected by Minnesota in the fifth round (No. 153 overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft and has yet to appear in an NHL game. He will wear sweater No. 82 with the Wild.

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Minnesota will host the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3.

Minnesota Wild single-game tickets are on sale now at wild.com/tickets, ticketmaster.com and at the Grand Casino Arena Box Office. Flex, 11-Game, half and full season memberships are also available for purchase. Please visit tickets.wild.com or contact a Wild Ticket Sales Representative by calling or texting (651) 222-WILD (9453) for more information. Group reservations of eight or more tickets can contact [email protected] for more information. Single game suite rentals are also available, contact [email protected] for more information.

Follow @mnwildPR on X and visit www.wild.com/pressbox and for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, player interviews and daily statistics.





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Minnesota Prosecutors Quit, Trump in Detroit, Inflation Report : Up First from NPR

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Minnesota Prosecutors Quit, Trump in Detroit, Inflation Report : Up First from NPR


Veteran federal prosecutors in Minnesota resign after pressure from Justice Department leaders to investigate the widow of Renee Macklin Good, the woman killed by an ICE agent, raising new questions about political interference.
President Trump takes his economic message on the road, pitching affordability as voters remain frustrated by high prices.
And while gas prices have dipped, rising heating costs, grocery prices, and stubborn inflation show why relief still feels out of reach for many families.

Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Gigi Douban, Krishnadev Calamur, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas.

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We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

And our Supervising Producer is Michael Lipkin.

(0:00) Introduction
(02:19) Minnesota Prosecutors Quit
(06:10) Trump in Detroit
(09:52) Inflation Report



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Effort to impeach Kristi Noem backed by Minnesota lawmakers

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Effort to impeach Kristi Noem backed by Minnesota lawmakers


Several Minnesota lawmakers are backing an effort signed by more than 50 Democrats in the House of Representatives to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem stemming from accusations of obstructing Congress and violating public trust.

Noem impeachment effort

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What we know:

A total of 53 House Democrats have co-signed a bill set to be introduced by U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (Illinois).

Tensions have risen in the Twin Cities following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of ICE officer Jonathan Ross. The shooting has sparked protests across the city, including outside the regional ICE headquarters.

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In December, the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge, bringing more than 100 federal agents into the Twin Cities.

In January, the Department of Homeland Security launched a new 30-day surge, bringing a reported force of 1,500 ICE officers and 600 Homeland Security investigators into the state with an aim at tackling fraud.

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According to Noem, the total has since increased to more than 2,000 agents presently operating within the state.

In the months prior to the focus on Minnesota, the Trump administration also sent additional troops to cities such as Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Dig deeper:

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The articles of impeachment that are set to be formally introduced on Jan. 14, 2026, will accuse Noem of three counts:

  • Obstruction of Congress: Stemming from members of Congress being denied entry to DHS facilities and for withholding congressionally appropriated disaster relief funding.
  • Violation of public trust: Allegedly denying ICE detainees due process and violating the First and Fourth amendments.
  • Self-dealing: Stemming from reports that Noem awarded $220 million in contracts to a firm run by her spokesperson’s husband.

What they’re saying:

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“Secretary Kristi Noem is an incompetent leader, a disgrace to our democracy, and I am impeaching her for obstruction of justice, violation of public trust, and self-dealing. Secretary Noem wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area, and now, her rogue ICE agents have unleashed that same destruction in Minneapolis, fatally shooting Renee Nicole Good,” said Rep. Kelly in a statement on her official website. “From Chicago to Charlotte to Los Angeles to Minneapolis, Secretary Noem is violating the Constitution while ruining — and ending — lives and separating families. It’s one thing to be incompetent and dangerous, but it’s impeachable to break the rule of law.”

Minnesota Reps. Angie Craig and Betty McCollum also plan to support the impeachment efforts.

“Secretary Noem should be fired. If she is not, I support impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate for her obstruction of Congress and violation of public trust,” said Rep. McCollum in a statement. “This past year, Americans in cities across the United States have felt the chaos and terror of Secretary Noem’s Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Secretary Noem has demonstrated that she is unable to enforce immigration law in a peaceful and ethical manner. Her deployment of unprofessional, poorly trained, masked immigration agents has put our neighbors in danger of physical harm.”

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Minnesota’s Democratic lawmakers, along with mayors Jacob Frey and Kaohly Her, along with Gov. Tim Walz, have also been vocal critics of DHS immigration enforcement efforts in the wake of the shooting of Renee Good.

ImmigrationPoliticsDonald J. TrumpMinnesotaMinneapolis



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