A handful of running backs have landed huge new contracts in recent years, and several of those teams have come to regret those deals. It’ll be very interesting to see what the next crop of running backs get, and a good test case will be Dalvin Cook. Cook is extension eligible, and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that extension talks have taken place between Cook and the Vikings.
Sources told Tomasson that talks will “ramp up” after free agency dies down. We heard back in January that the Vikings were prepared to keep him in the fold, and it sounds like things are starting to move in that direction. The 41st pick of the 2017 draft, Cook will be playing out the final year of his rookie deal in 2020.
The Florida State product made an instant splash as a rookie, bursting onto the scene with an impressive first few games and 122 rushing yards in his pro debut. Unfortunately his first campaign was cut short, as he tore an ACL in Week 4. In 2018 he wasn’t quite the same as he dealt with nagging hamstring injuries, carrying the ball only 133 times in 11 games.
He bounced back in a big way this past season, racking up 1,135 yards on the ground and another 519 through the air in only 14 games while scoring 13 touchdowns. The Vikings have been active this week, trading away Stefon Diggs and locking up Kirk Cousins with an extension. While they might not be looking to break the bank, it sounds like Cook is in their long-term plans.
Rb is a position you don’t need to overpay at. He’s had health issues already in his young career.