Jan 15, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (4) during warmups before a wild card game against the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
Former Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook still wants to be in the Top 10 — of RB compensation.
Minnesota released Cook last week, banking $9 million in cap savings for the franchise while granting the 27-year-old a fresh start with another NFL team.
And a prerequisite for that next employer is a fancy price tag. Cook has no interest, as of mid-June, in a team-friendly deal or anything of the sort. In fact, according to the Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson, Cook still expects a Top-10 RB contract.
Jackson tweeted this week, “As I’ve reported, Dalvin Cook wants something far closer to $10.4 million he was to get from Minnesota.”
Anything can happen, but Cook is unlikely to fetch $10+ million as running back value has dipped in recent years, and the Florida State alumnus will turn 28 in August — an age when some halfbacks slow down, at least per history.
The Vikings severed ties with Cook this offseason because of — you guessed it — price. He was on deck to inflict a $14.1 million cap hit against the Vikings books in 2023, and if the general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah waited until June 2nd to release him — he did — he would save $9 million. And that’s precisely what occurred.
Cook joined The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday, along with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, and said, “I want the value. I want somebody who wants Dalvin Cook.”
Cook added about his ongoing free agency, “I’m all fixed up now. My shoulder’s feeling great. And, like you said, you know what you’re getting out of Dalvin Cook. As soon as I step foot in that locker room or on the football field, you know that I’m gonna be the best teammate and best leader that you can get.”
Interestingly, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins floated a never-before-heard theory Wednesday. He suggested Cook could return to the Vikings if Cook’s free agency were disappointing. “I’m excited to see where he goes, I’ll always be pulling for him, and I’m kind of optimistically hoping maybe we get him back,” Cousins told reporters.
Cousins concluded, “Who knows. Maybe there is an outside chance. We’ll see.”
In Cook’s stead, Alexander Mattison is theorized for Vikings RB1 duty this September, with three running backs also in the stable — Ty Chandler, DeWayne McBride, and Kene Nwangwu.
The Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets are the frontrunners to net Cook’s services.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.