No, Dalvin Cook Didn’t “Guarantee” a Super Bowl Win.
Guaranteeing a Super Bowl triumph would be a bold, Namath-like event — especially for a Minnesota Vikings player because the franchise is Super Bowl-less — if it actually occurred.
TMZ caught up with Vikings tailback Dalvin Cook recently, asking about the change of his jersey number from the 33 to 4 and his opinions on eventually winning a Lombardi trophy. This was the headline extrapolated from the chat and tweeted worldwide on Sunday:
Indeed, the prediction is bold, especially when the term guarantee is linked with conversation. That word is a lightning rod for sports from Joe Namath in the late-1960s to Vince McMahon for World Wrestling Entertainment during The Attitude Era. “Guarantee” carries weight because it puts accountability on the beholder.
Except Cook didn’t guarantee anything.
The reporter asked Cook if he and Jefferson would win a Super Bowl, and Cook affirmed they would win one.
And, that’s it. That’s what athletes say — bravado-laden replies to inspire confidence. What if he said, “No, we will not.”
Here’s the video:
The word guarantee wasn’t even used by Cook or the reporter.
That’s why it’s bizarre the word slid into the headline because now, of course, that’s the soundbite. Dalvin Cook guarantees a Super Bowl win. But the problem is nobody, especially Cook, said those words.
The Vikings will be led by a new head coach and general manager in 2022, terminating the old regime of Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman when the 2021 regular season ended. It’s certainly possible Minnesota finally wins a championship after 61 unsuccessful tries — mainly if free agency and the NFL draft go swimmingly — but Cook’s words do not rubberstamp anything.
As for winning a Super Bowl “with Justin Jefferson,” the reporter is the person who set the question up that way. He asked Cook if he and Jefferson would get it done. Cook said “yes.”
So, you have to decide what would be a stranger headline — Cook responding, “No, we just don’t quite have the gumption on this team to do that.” Or — the mysterious insertion of the word guarantee, even though Cook personally never used the term.
This is The Digital Age.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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