The Minnesota Vikings added veteran running back Jermar Jefferson in NFL free agency. To make that addition, the Vikings also parted with running back Jordan Mims.
According to the NFL transaction wire, Minnesota waived Mims on Wednesday.
Mims has appeared in 13 games during the NFL regular season. Last season, though, the running back only played in one game for the Tennessee Titans.
An undrafted rookie from the 2023 NFL Draft, Mims played college football at Fresno State. Over 59 games in college, Mims posted 3,290 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns.
He accumulated 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns during his final season in 2022.
Vikings Waive RB Jordan Mims
GettyRunning back Jordan Mims is out with the Minnesota Vikings after a little more than two weeks.
The Vikings added Mims for running back depth early in training camp. His experience could have served the organization well through the preseason.
Instead, the team added Jefferson for additional running back experience and depth.
Mims was a bit of a late bloomer in college, which could make him an intriguing target for some NFL teams. He had more rushing yards as a senior than he did in the prior four years at Fresno State.
However, Mims was a more consistent scorer while in college. He scored six touchdowns on three occasions — 2017, 2018 and 2021.
Mims averaged more than five yards per carry in 2020 and 2021 but he didn’t receive enough carries to approach the 1,000-yard mark. The carries came in 2022, though, and Mims took advantage.
He had more than 600 yards in 2017 as a freshman and 710 yards as a senior.
In the NFL, Mims has rushed for 70 yards on 20 carries. All of those yards came during 2024.
Minnesota RB Depth Entering 2026 Preseason
GettyKevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings waived running back Jordan Mims on Wednesday.
Because the Vikings released Mims in exchange for Jefferson, the team still has five running backs on the training camp roster.
On the team’s first depth chart, Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason shared the RB1 spot. Although Jones missed five games last season, that was basically the case in 2025 as well.
Mason led the team, though, with 758 rushing yards and is about five years younger than Jones. It wouldn’t be surprising if Mason played an even bigger role this fall.
Zavier Scott fell in the RB2 (or RB3) spot behind Mason and Jones. Scott made his NFL debut last season and only has 32 career carries. But he bring versatility as a running back who can also cover punts and kickoffs.
The biggest question in the Vikings backfield is whether sixth-round rookie Demond Claiborne might be able to nudge in front of Scott for the RB3 job.
Minnesota selected Claiborne at No. 198 overall in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s received some hype as a potential diamond in the rough for this year’s draft class.
At Wake Forest, Claiborne ran for at least 900 yards in each of his final two college seasons. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry in 2025.
Jefferson is the last running back on Minnesota’s roster. He’s familiar with the NFC North, as he began his NFL career with the Detroit Lions. Last season, Jefferson played for the Arizona Cardinals.
In 11 NFL games, he’s rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
Jefferson faces an uphill battle to a roster spot. But he’s in better shape with the Vikings than Mims, who is now searching for a new opportunity.
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