Purple Rumor Mill: Dalvin Cook’s New Team, Trading Danielle Hunter, Newcomer’s Prediction
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the June 10th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: Dalvin Cook’s New Team, Trading Danielle Hunter, Newcomer’s Prediction
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week.
Rumor: The Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos are the frontrunners to sign Dalvin Cook.
On June 9th, after about three months of suspense, the Vikings released Dalvin Cook, marking the end of a six-year run in Minnesota.
The day before, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “The Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos are two of the teams that are expected to have an interest in signing running back Dalvin Cook once he officially is released, per sources. There likely will be others, but those two have been monitoring Cook for weeks.”
The Dolphins, Broncos, Bills, Cowboys, Chiefs, and perhaps Bears should be considered the frontrunners to onboard Cook.
Rumor: The Vikings are exploring a Danielle Hunter trade.
On Wednesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported, “Here is my understanding of where it stands. Sources say that teams have been calling the Minnesota Vikings regarding Danielle Hunter. He has in fact generated some trade interest.”
Meanwhile, Darren Wolfson said on SKOR North’s Mackey & Judd Show Thursday, “I have a very, very, very, very strong sense that leakage did not come from TCO performance center. It did not come from the Vikings. So, we’re looking at either some other team that is hoping putting this out there required with a Vikings if they’re hoping this can push trade talks forward, or it was Danielle’s representation not happy with where new contract talks stand.”
The Vikings are likely doing the diligence on Hunter’s trade value while exploring a contract extension. And if Wolfson is correct, the trade-Hunter fodder isn’t a Vikings-driven dialogue.
We’d place the odds of a Hunter trade around 35/65, meaning he’s more likely to end up back in Minnesota.
Rumor: Marcus Davenport believes the Vikings are a Super Bowl contender.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero visited Vikings organized team activities this week and asked Davenport about his mission statement for 2023. Davenport replied, “I only got one expectation. That’s the Super Bowl. And so, from there, it’s one of those things where we’ll just have to see. My point is Super Bowl, and then we’ll see.”
Davenport signed a one-year deal with the Vikings in March, and his goal is to win a Super Bowl this year.
Some believe the Vikings are merely tunneling toward a ‘transformational’ season as a means to end the Kirk Cousins era. The theory is false. Or — Davenport has been severely misled. The team shed bloated contracts held by aging veterans this offseason but is very much ‘in it to win it’ in 2023.
And the cool part? Minnesota will have more cap flexibility next offseason than any year since 2014 or so. It’s the essence of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s ‘competitive rebuild.’
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 Viking obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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