JUNE 9: As expected, no trade suitors emerged for Cook as teams knew that he would soon hit the open market. The release is now official, per a team announcement, meaning he will be free to sign with a new team any time after 3:00pm Central today.
“I hold Dalvin in the highest regard and am grateful for his contributions on and off the field,” a statement from head coach Kevin O’Connell reads in part. “Dalvin’s approach to the game and his commitment to sportsmanship is clearly respected across the league. We appreciate Dalvin’s positivity, energy and leadership and will be pulling for him in the future.”
Adofo-Mensah likewise praised Cook for his time with the Vikings, which has come to a close after four straight Pro Bowl campaigns. It will be interesting to monitor how his free agent market takes shape.
JUNE 8: After months of trade rumors, the Vikings plan to conclude the offseason Dalvin Cook saga with a release. Minnesota now intends to cut its six-year starting running back, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
The Vikings intend to follow through with this long-rumored separation Friday, Pelissero tweets. While this potentially opens the door to a last-ditch trade effort, Minnesota has dangled Cook in deals for several weeks now. No takers have emerged. Cook is a vested veteran and will move straight to free agency if/when cut. The Vikes, as should be expected here, will make a final effort to trade Cook, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.
As for potential suitors, Schefter names the Dolphins — who discussed Cook with the Vikings earlier this offseason — and Broncos (Twitter link). Denver has a clear tie, with GM George Paton being in Minnesota when the Vikes drafted Cook in 2017 second round, but the team also signed Samaje Perine and has starter Javonte Williams already participating in offseason work despite tearing an ACL in October.
The Broncos are highly unlikely to make an 11th-hour trade offer for Cook, per 9News’ Mike Klis, who adds they should not be considered a lock to pursue him in free agency. But Schefter notes the team has been monitoring the talented back for weeks. The Dolphins hold nearly $14MM in cap space; the Broncos sit at just more than $10MM. Other suitors are believed to be in the mix once Cook officially becomes available at 3pm CT Friday, but these are the two known candidates at this point.
Cook’s positional value and $10.4MM base salary have almost definitely impeded strong trade offers from emerging. A release will save the Vikings $9MM, though the Pro Bowler’s dead money would be spread over two offseasons. Cook has $2MM in guaranteed salary owed; that will bump his career earnings past $34MM. His next contract will not come close to the five-year, $63MM contract the Vikings authorized before the 2020 season, but an interesting free agency sweepstakes looks likely to launch soon.
As a South Florida native who played at Florida State, Cook is believed to have interest in heading to Miami. The Dolphins are expected to make an offer, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. This would come after the team made several moves at running back this offseason. Miami re-signed Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson and Myles Gaskin, though the trio’s combined guarantees do not top $6MM, and used a third-round pick on Texas A&M speedster Devon Achane.
With Tyreek Hill‘s $30MM-per-year contract the only notable pact attached to a Dolphins quarterback or skill-position player, Miami makes sense here. Cook, who is going into his age-28 season, could slide in as a hired gun. The Broncos, conversely, have Russell Wilson tied to a monster extension and Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick on eight-figure-per-year deals. That said, Denver did well to sign both receivers before Hill and Co. transformed that market in 2022. Unlike the Dolphins, the Broncos did not draft a running back this year.
Cook’s Florida ties could seemingly prompt the Broncos or an unknown suitor to make a trade offer before the release processes, as to keep the back from joining the Dolphins. The Vikings kept Za’Darius Smith on their roster for months, despite the edge rusher lobbying for a release in March, before agreeing to a low-level trade with the Browns. It would be interesting to see how much of Cook’s base salary the Vikings would be willing to eat to facilitate a trade. As of Thursday morning, Cook remains under contract through 2025.
Passing Chuck Foreman for third place in Vikings rushing yardage last season, Cook has reeled off four straight 1,100-plus-yard years. Despite nagging injuries that have emerged since his rookie-year ACL tear, Cook has proven fairly durable. He has only missed more than two games in a season once over the past four years (in 2021) and played all 18 Vikings contests in 2022. Cook did undergo shoulder surgery earlier this offseason, however. Only Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb have accumulated more rushing yards than Cook (5,024) since 2019.
The Vikings moving on from Cook this week will keep him away from their mandatory minicamp, where longtime backup Alexander Mattison‘s ascent is now set to take place in earnest. The Vikings re-signed Mattison to a two-year deal worth just $7MM — in line with the Dolphins’ low-level RB pacts and others on the buyer’s market that expectedly formed this offseason — but nearly all of it is fully guaranteed. With Cook in limbo, Mattison — a former third-round pick who has occupied Minnesota’s RB2 slot for four years — is set to begin his age-25 season as Minnesota’s starter.
Despite the Vikings going 13-4 in 2022 (albeit one with a negative point differential), second-year GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has already parted with Vikings mainstays Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks this offseason. This Cook move will leave Harrison Smith, Danielle Hunter and Brian O’Neill as the final ties to the homegrown core Rick Spielman built during the 2010s. The Vikings agreed to terms to retain Smith on a pay cut this offseason but have taken calls on Hunter, whose contract has been an issue for most of its duration.
I am going to need help understanding this move. The Vikings window is partially open for this year with minimal NFCN competition. Cook may have regressed recently, but he is better than other available options. The Vikings were not in a dire cap situation either.
Cook is good, but he isn’t THAT much better than Mattison. Just because you don’t know who Mattison is doesn’t mean he isn’t good.
Mattison is a high end RB2, not a guy you want as a starter and that will show fairly quickly. Their RB depth isn’t that strong after Mattison either.
They did draft a runningback who had 3,000 yards and 30+ touchdowns the last 2 years. He could be really good.
But he is better. Mattison has been fine as a complementary depth piece, but he has not carried the load as a feature back. You need more than 1 RB regardless.
They are a worse team with this move.
In 2021 Mattison was the lead back for 3 games, those games he rushed for 112, 113, & 90. Only 2 TD (one rush one Rec) He also added a total of 124 receiving yards. Yes Cook has been the better back, he’s also gotten 10x the opportunity. Mattison will be just fine…
They may have asked him to take a pay cut…or Vikings may just feel $10.4M is too much of a cap hit for Cook, or even concerned about him staying healthy
$9M cap savings in 2023. About $5M dead in 2023 and $3M dead in 2024.
One word: money.
I don’t think Mattison is a talented as Cook is. They may not, either. They may feel Mattison is close enough though that, for half the price, they can spend the money in other areas and be better overall by releasing Cook.
hmm , at this point in free agency, i don’t see them spending any of the money once Cook is gone.
I think Jimmy has a point that they should just bite the bullet and roll with their star player during a significant window for contention regardless of cost.
like who are they going to bring in right now with 9 mil besides maybe a cheaper, worse RB?
Probably going to spend it on another position, might use some of it on a backup RB but going to spread it around or roll it I’m sure
who’s available in free agency at other positions?
no one.
I don’t necessarily disagree with Jimmy. I don’t think the current Vikings regime is very competent, to be honest. I’m just trying to look at it how they may be, Goku.
I’ll throw a name out to answer your question: Marcus Peters at CB, maybe?
Adrian Peterson stated he wasn’t officially retired…lol.
Cutting Cook allowed 9M in cap savings. They could spend 2-5M on Elliott or Fournette to soften the blow, spending the rest on free agent vets. Although, it would be hard to convince me they would be a better team with the corpse of Elliott and someone like Dawuane Smoot vs Cook.
Not hard to understand. This year only matters to them for being able to move on from Cousins. A chance at winning the NFC North won’t satisfy the Vikings fans and the team is not good enough to contend for the title. If Mattison hits, it further allows them to justify not spending on a star RB like modern football says to do. If he doesn’t, then you get to feed your superstar Jefferson all season and probably emerge with even more optimism the following year with a better QB situation (whether that is skill, contract, or both).
I think you’re being a little too dismissive of what a chance to win the NFC North means to ownership though: potentially a home playoff game, which in turn means more revenue.
There is also zero guarantee they can come away with a QB better than Cousins. Everyone doesn’t get a Patrick Mahomes.
ya, they’ve had success with multiple RBs in the past.
Mattison should be at least middle of the pack RB in 2023.
but the timeline of the move is pretty poor. would’ve gone all in on 2023 , then start a full rebuild next year, if necessary
Every fan would prefer if they cut their garbage QB. Cousins is trash and his stats are only okay because of garbage time play. He can’t move and has terrible play vision.
Gutting the secondary, removing the offensive tools that Cousins couldn’t utilize because he’s trash wont make a Super Bowl team.
I hope they trade Jefferson so he can have success somewhere, and the team can restart… hopefully from management down.
as an outside pov fan who understands who Jared Goff is, I’d say the Vikings would be coming in as favorites in the NFC North this year
.. but they’re tearing their team apart lisa!
time for Adrian Peterson reunion?
They could also add Chuck Foreman and Dave Osborn for depth.
Randy Moss
Hate to see Dalvin go but he wasn’t worth the contract, they got similar efficiency from Mattison and in a pass heavy offense why are you paying an aging back that kind of money. Dalvin made sense on a Zimmer led team that wanted to grind out the clock but on a high powered passing team there’s no reason to pay any running back 14m.
Mattison has 74, 134, 96, and 100 attempts.
Last 2 years Mattison has averaged 3.8 and 3.7 YPA. Cook has averaged 4.4 and 4.7 while essentially doubling the number of carriers. Not sure where you got similar efficiency since most backs who dip below the 4.0 YPA usually wash out the league sooner rather than later.
Having a back like Cook makes sense in a pass happy attack cause it keeps the defense honest. Now watch them go dime packages double/triple Jefferson and pray Mattison can run the ball and Addison can be a legit #2 to win 1 on 1.
Releasing him now is just weird timing cause there’s really nothing they can via free agency to increase their odds of winning a championship in a pretty wide open division with Rodgers gone now.
Unicorn? I thought it was Uniform.
Looks like a downgrade for the Vikings. Sure hope saving that $10 million helps when sitting in front of the TV come playoff time.
I must be missing something as a casual observer of the Vikes. Cook always seemed to be a guy who runs hard, hits holes quickly and has incredible lateral movement. Anytime I’ve seen him I’ve been impressed
With an incredible wideout in their passing attack, he was a great complement.
Now they’re letting him go?
To me, if he indeed joins Miami, they are an instant contender if Tua stays healthy
I saw the Jets mentioned as a wildcard possibility for him with Breece Hall still recovering. If there could be a possibility of a contract restructure or the Vikes paying down some of his contract. I could see the Jets sending Michael Carter and possibly a 7th to Minnesota for him.
There’s devaluing the RB position, and then there’s dumb decisions. To me, this is more of the latter. Get something, anything for Cook in a trade if you’re going to move on from him.
So, hypothetically, if Minny would be asked to eat $7-8 mil to get a conditional 5th rounder back, they should jump at that?
If they use his $$$ to go get say Melvin Ingrim for the edge or Marcus Peters at CB like another poster states above I’m fine with it. If its just a pure $$$ drop it sucks.
I’d prefer help at the edge . If they get pressure at the edge it helps the entire defense on back. So I’d prefer Ingrim.
Jim Brown in his present state is better than a lot of those guys, sign him
Still feels like a bad move.
They needed to free up cap space to extend Jefferson.
Hahaha – Between the Packers going with Love and the Vikings blowing themselves up in odd cost savings, the Lions or Bears could win an asterisked division title.