Trade Rumor Sets Vikings-Themed Social Media Ablaze
Dustin Baker
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Before next week, the Minnesota Vikings will enact cap-clearing measures akin to Monday’s move that released Eric Kendricks. More outright cuts, contractual restructures, or even trades will occur.
And the rumor of trade dominated Vikings-themed social media Thursday, as running back Dalvin Cook is reportedly getting attention.
Trade Rumor Sets Vikings-Themed Social Media Ablaze
Cook, 27, is scheduled to incur a $14.4 million cap hit against the Vikings books in 2023 — a number that may be too large for the front office’s liking.
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson said on SKOR North’s Mackey & Judd show, “I did hear that there is an offer in on Dalvin Cook.”
Cook has been the subject of a potential release or trade since the Vikings lost to the New York Giants in the playoffs.
“So if they wanted to trade Dalvin Cook, there is an interested team. I don’t know the pick, I don’t know if it’s a seventh-round pick, a fifth-round pick. And I don’t even know if the Vikings are willing to say ‘OK, yeah, let’s do that,’ I just know that there is trade interest,” Wolfson added.
Unrelated to Wolfson or the Mackey & Judd show, one source told VikingsTerritory that the San Francisco 49ers offered a 4th-Round draft pick for Cook and that the deal is very much on the table. Pairing Cook with an already-expensive Christian McCaffrey in the 49ers backfield seems a bit odd on the surface, but then again, San Francisco is no longer on tap to pay any quarterback megabucks with Jimmy Garppolo’s deal off the books.
If the 4th-Rounder is the compensation, it would be strange for the Vikings to ultimately turn the offer down. The market for running backs continues to decline in a pass-happy NFL, and a 4th-Round pick may be the zenith of Cook’s current worth.
NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero sang a different tune about Cook and the Vikings one week ago. Pelissero joined Paul Allen on KFAN and explained, “He’s got two million that becomes fully guaranteed next week. He’s coming off shoulder surgery. So, that money is locked in already. I would anticipate he’s absolutely on the team.”
The Vikings ran the football the third least in the business last year, preferring to pass ad nauseam under former-quarterback head coach Kevin O’Connell. The playcalling split left fans wondering for the upcoming 2023 season — will the Vikings employ the league’s fifth-most expensive running back and run the ball at a comparatively low clip?
That question may be answered via trade if the Vikings pull the trigger. A Cook exodus would leave two running backs on the Vikings roster, Ty Chandler and Kene Nwangwu, with free agency four days away and the NFL draft commencing in seven weeks.
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,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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