Dalvin Cook’s future with the Minnesota Vikings remains uncertain, and there’s not a player on the roster outside of Kirk Cousins whose name has been speculated upon more than his.
Last week, Cook’s agent said the 27-year-old will play with a two healthy shoulders in 2023 for the first time since 2019, though he also referred to the Vikings as a “mediocre” team that limited Cook’s production.
Entering the chat Sunday was ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who said: “I’m told all options are on the table and he could be released if things don’t work out.”
Cook has a $14.1 million cap hit in 2023. If he’s released before June 1 the Vikings save about $5.9 million but still eat around $8.2 million in dead money, according to Over The Cap. Cutting him after June 1 would save $9 million, so if cutting him is the way the Vikings want to go, doing it after June 1 makes the most sense.
Trading him after June 1 would make even more sense (if there’s a market for him) because it would save the Vikings $11 million. Trading him before or during the draft (or before June 1) would also save Minnesota about $8 million of his $14.1 million cap hit.
In his Monday column, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer explained why Cook’s best option might be returning to the Vikings on a restructured deal that pays him less and saves the Vikings more. In fact, Breer said there’s a “good chance” that’s his best deal.
“Cook could force the Vikings to cut him now. But at this point of the offseason, he’d do it knowing most other teams have made their plans at his position, spent their cap-cash budgets and are looking at a loaded class of backs in the draft. In other words, Cook takes what they want him to, or risks hitting a very soft market,” Breer wrote.
