Vikings Down to the Wire with Dalvin Cook & Harrison Smith

Vikings Have 7 Possible
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The next 24 hours could be quite pivotal in Minnesota Vikings history as crucial decisions regarding two keynote players loom.

Significant contract portions guarantee Friday, the third day of the new league year. And this applies to many Vikings but especially those with statuses in question.

Vikings Down to the Wire with Dalvin Cook & Harrison Smith

VikingsTerritory’s Sean Borman explained the monetary stakes on Twitter:

Vikings w/base salary guarantees triggering on Friday (3/17):

• Brian O’Neill ($14.4M)
• Za’Darius Smith ($5.05M)
• Harrison Phillips ($4.45M)
• Dalvin Cook ($2M)
• Harrison Smith ($1.25M)

Sean Borman | VikingsTerritory
Vikings Down to the Wire
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

Brian O’Neill’s contract could be targeted for restructuring, perhaps freeing up more 2023 cap space. But he isn’t going anywhere and is instead recovering from an Achilles’ tear. Barring setback, he should be “good to go” for September.

On the other hand, besides Cook and Harrison Smith, the Vikings are down to the wire with Za’Darius Smith, too. He evidently has put a bow on his brief career in Minnesota, tweeting one week ago, “I just want to say ‘Thank you!’ to Skol Nation for an amazing season & experience! Thank you to all of my Teammates, Coaches & the entire Minnesota Vikings Organization! ?.”

Because of the chunky $5.05 million that triggers Friday, if Za’Darius Smith is on his way out of Minnesota, it will probably happen before the end of Friday.

10 Bold Predictions
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Cook’s future is a true Sherlockian mystery. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah re-signed RB2 Alexander Mattison on Wednesday, and that RB2 acronym could soon morph into RB1. The trade rumor mill has engulfed Cook in the last week, with the Miami Dolphins allegedly in the Cook Sweepstakes to start free agency. Then, Miami signed a couple of running backs, all but squashing Cook-to-Miami chatter.

If Adofo-Mensah “does nothing” with Cook’s contract, the Vikings would pay the RB room roughly $20 million in 2023, a strange circumstance in the contemporary NFL, especially for a team led by the “Moneyball GM.” Something’s gotta give with Cook, and the mystery resolution becomes clearer in the next 24 hours.

The World Is Starting
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

Finally — the Harrisons. Phillips isn’t going anywhere, so cross him off the list. But Harrison Smith’s future with the franchise has been up and down for about two weeks. He’s reportedly pondering a contractual restructure or paycut. He possesses the third-largest cap hit on the Vikings 2023 books, and that’s likely too rich for a 34-year-old safety. Via comical tweet, Smith seems likely to return in purple this autumn, but “the tweet” is really all the evidence available at the moment:

Buckle up because decisions on Cook and The Smiths are afoot.


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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