Dalvin Cook finally had a healthy season in 2022, but it appears the running back and the Vikings could be hurtling toward an inevitable split.
Cook, entering the third year of a five-year, $63 million deal, will be entering his age-28 season. However, with his injury history and Minnesota's increasingly crowded backfield, it's looking more and more likely he's the odd man out.
The running back's dead cap hit this year would be $5.1 million as a post-June 1 cut, meaning the Vikings would save $9 million against the cap, per Over The Cap. Minnesota could also save $11 million by trading him, but finding a suitor could prove difficult at this juncture.
The next step for the Vikings could well be to find someone to trade Cook to rather than releasing him outright. Albert Breer reported the Vikings and Dolphins nearly came to an agreement, but ultimately it fell through.
Cook has four straight seasons rushing for at least 1,000 yards and finally played in every game last season. The Sporting News is tracking the latest rumors around the embattled back as he tries to prove he has plenty left in the tank.
MORE: Latest updates on DeAndre Hopkins' free agency decision
Dalvin Cook rumors
Vikings and Dolphins were working on a Dalvin Cook trade
Date: Monday, June 5
Source: Albert Breer, SI
It appears the Vikings thought they had a suitor in the Dolphins, who would like to get more high-leverage weapons alongside Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
However, according to Albert Breer, the deal came close and fell through in March. Where the Vikings see Cook as a complementary back, the Dolphins saw him as a feature, per Breer.
Dalvin Cook release could be imminent
Date: Friday, June 2
Source: Kevin Seifert, ESPN
In a lengthy story published by ESPN following the June 1 deadline, Kevin Seifert detailed the reasons the Vikings and Cook are likely heading toward a split.
Among them are age (28 often leads to a precipitous dropoff for running backs), roster considerations (Alexander Mattison has the makings of a feature back), and contract (Rick Spielman signed Cook to his five-year deal predating Kwesi Adofo-Mensah).
Dalvin Cook contract
Cook is entering the third year of a five-year, $63 million deal he signed in 2020. That deal, however, had just $16.33 million guaranteed.
Here's how Cook's contract breaks down:
| Year | Age | Salary | Cap Hit | Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 26 | $1,500,000 | $5,113,026 | $13,905,088 |
| 2022 | 27 | $8,300,000 | $11,883,625 | $17,703,816 |
| 2023 | 28 | $10,400,000 | $14,101,272 | $8,202,544 |
| 2024 | 29 | $11,900,000 | $15,601,272 | $3,101,272 |
| 2025 | 30 | $12,900,000 | $13,500,000 | - |
Adofo-Mensah clearly doesn't want to let the contract get to 2024 or 2025, when the cap hit spikes. It's possible eating the dead money this offseason would be preferable.
Dalvin Cook stats
Cook has had four straight seasons of 1,000-plus rushing yards, which ties Adrian Peterson in Vikings history.
Cook is also a somewhat viable receiving threat for the Vikings, although that his never been his forte in the Minnesota offense.
| Year | Games | Attempts | Yards | Touchdowns | Yards/Attempt | Targets | Catches | Yards | Yards/Catch | Rec. Touchdowns | Fmb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 4 | 74 | 354 | 2 | 4.8 | 16 | 11 | 90 | 8.2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 11 | 133 | 615 | 2 | 4.6 | 49 | 40 | 305 | 7.6 | 2 | 2 |
| 2019 | 14 | 250 | 1135 | 13 | 4.5 | 63 | 53 | 519 | 9.8 | 0 | 4 |
| 2020 | 14 | 312 | 1557 | 16 | 5.0 | 54 | 44 | 361 | 8.2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2021 | 13 | 249 | 1159 | 6 | 4.7 | 49 | 34 | 224 | 6.6 | 0 | 3 |
| 2022 | 17 | 264 | 1173 | 8 | 4.4 | 56 | 39 | 295 | 7.6 | 2 | 4 |
| Career | 73 | 1282 | 5993 | 47 | 4.7 | 287 | 221 | 1794 | 8.1 | 5 | 19 |
Despite the high production, the Vikings clearly feel it's time to move on from the aging back.