Could Dalvin Cook take a pay cut to stay with the Vikings?
With the crucial date of June 1 approaching for the Vikings' decision on Dalvin Cook, is there a chance the running back could stay in Minnesota after all?
It's not out of the realms of possibility according to KSTP's Darren Wolfson, who joined Skor North's Minnesota Sports with Mackey & Judd this week, although he still believes that it's more likely that Cook will leave the Vikings.
Wolfson said he spoke to "somebody in the know ... somebody I trust enough" who suggested checking on the possibility that Cook is "having a change of heart" on taking a pay cut to stay with the Vikings."
"And it’s possible. You look at the landscape of the league like who really needs a running back — you look at Austin Eckler, he reworked his deal this week to remain a Charger. Could something comparable happen where the possibility exists that Dalvin Cook is in purple ... in 2023?" Wolfson said.
"It's something I need to dig a little bit deeper on, but the possibility exists that [Cook] will rework his deal, take some sort of cut, realize that there really isn't any other opportunity out there."
Whether the Vikings will be willing to offer Cook a new deal is another matter, with Wolfson noting: "You don't pay Alexander Mattison the money you did ... to make him the No. 2 back."
The Vikings could save $11+ million in cap space if they release or trade Cook after June 1, and there have been rumblings of a number of potential trade partners, though the most likely – the Miami Dolphins – appears to be a no-go after they drafted a running back and retained Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr.
Last week, the Vikings replaced Cook with Mattison in its Twitter banner picture. Is that a definitive "he's out" move? No, but it also hints that the Vikings see Mattison in a more prominent role in 2023.
