Dalvin Cook Reportedly Doesn’t Have a Secret Agreement
One of the two nagging concerns has been solved. Pro Bowl defender Za’Darius Smith is no longer on the team. He requested his release at the beginning of free agency but the Vikings didn’t do that. Instead, they have traded him to the Cleveland Browns for a couple of draft picks. However, another riddle still hasn’t been decoded.
Dalvin Cook Reportedly Doesn’t Have a Secret Agreement
The Vikings entered the offseason with Dalvin Cook’s future with the organization in jeopardy, as he is employed via a large contract. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah released Eric Kendricks and Adam Thielen to save cap space and Cook is a similar case. He is a player who is no longer as good as he once was but he has earned the respect of every member of the franchise after a long tenure with the team.
Adofo-Mensah can save $11 million if he can facilitate a trade and $9 million by releasing the veteran runner. Teams in the market for Cook could save some money if they signed him as a free agent after a release instead of trading for him. In addition to that, a team doesn’t have to give up assets like draft picks that way. It is attractive for rumored teams like the Bills and the Dolphins to wait for a release instead of actively trading for him.
The downside, of course, is that he could choose to join a different team unless there is an agreement in place. Prior to his release, Cook and that team would agree to get a deal done once he’s dismissed and keep the assets that would be necessary to get him via trade. Needless to say, that would be tampering and highly illegal. The Dolphins lost their 2023 first-round pick because of tampering allegations.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald said the following on Saturday:
For those asking if Dalvin Cook to the Dolphins is a done deal, I have been led to believe it’s not a done deal. Could Cook end up here? Absolutely. It’s certainly a real possibility if he’s cut by Minnesota. There would be interest on both sides. But from my understanding, there’s not some secret agreement between the parties.
If Jackson is right, and there’s no reason to believe otherwise considering he’s one of the top Dolphins reporters, that would still keep Miami as a potential trade partner. The reporter added some more fascinating words.
In fact, it’s not certain that the Vikings will release Cook if they remain unsuccessful in finding a trade partner. He could conceivably agree to a pay cut, or the Vikings could hold onto him into training camp, hoping a trade option becomes available if a team loses its starting running back to an injury. If they ultimately do release him, I would expect a Dolphins pursuit — but likely not at a salary close to the $10.4 million he’s due to make this season. Of that $10.4 million, only $2 million is guaranteed.
Keeping the running back instead of releasing him makes a lot of sense for multiple reasons. First of all, it is never smart to get rid of good players without getting anything in return. He is still a fine running back, even though his prime is long gone, and running backs usually decline at his age. It would also be bad for morale to release Cook, one of the locker room leaders of the Vikes.
The only way why it could make sense is if Adofo-Mensah plans to pull off a big signing or trade and needs the cap space to make it happen.
Cook’s status is still up in the air. He could be with the Vikings, but he could also be traded or released at any point. It will be one of the most fascinating stories in Minnesota until it is finally resolved.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
You must be logged in to post a comment.