Dalvin Cook Wants to Team Up with 5-Time Pro Bowler
Dalvin Cook and DeAndre Hopkins live in the same world — two dynamic playmakers and free agents waiting for the call from their next NFL employer.
The Arizona Cardinals released Hopkins on May 30th, and Cook met the same fate with the Minnesota Vikings a week and a half later.
Dalvin Cook Wants to Team Up with 5-Time Pro Bowler
Now, the two could pair on some team’s roster if Cook gets his wish.
Cook recently said about the prospect of playing alongside Hopkins, “If we end up on the same roster, that would be something epic for the NFL.”
Hopkins turned 31 two weeks ago, and Cook’s 28th birthday is in August. Both players will likely latch onto Super Bowl-contending teams this summer for final pushes in their careers. In fact, Cook declared to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “The money is going to come, and that’s going to happen. But like as far as going to lift that Super Bowl trophy up, he (Hopkins) has the same mindset as me.”
The Vikings severed ties with Cook this offseason because of his pricetag. He was on deck to inflict a $14.1 million cap hit against the Vikings books in 2023, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah saved $9 million by moving on. The longtime Viking is now free to sign anywhere in the NFL, with the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and Buffalo Bills and frontrunners to acquire his services, according to oddsmakers.
On Hopkins, well, the Cardinals appear to be heading into a non-contending season. Quarterback Kyler Murray will be on the shelf for at least half the regular season recovering from a torn ACL suffered last year. And some believe Arizona could struggle so mightily that it would net the 1st overall pick in next year’s draft — which would hand the franchise a choice at the Caleb Williams Sweepstakes. Evidently, Hopkins didn’t fit in the Cardinals 2023 plan, whatever that may be.
Cook also said about himself and Hopkins, “We’re trying to go on the roster and trying to go contend.” The former Viking alluded to plans of reaching out to Hopkins about partnering on a roster and that if it came to fruition, it would be a “beauty of a situation.”
During life after Cook, running back Alexander Mattison is expected to take over the RB1 job in Minnesota. For the Cardinals, Marquise Brown is on deck for bellcow WR1 duties, presumably catching balls from veteran quarterback Colt McCoy.
Neither Cook nor Hopkins is reportedly interested in a team-friendly deal.
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.
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