Dalvin to the Dolphins? Why a Trade for Cook Is Probably a Pipe Dream

Dalvin Cook in a Miami Dolphins uniform?

Yeah, that sure sounds nice and there's no doubt the thought is dancing in the minds of Dolphins fans after a report came out Monday that the Minnesota Vikings running back was planning on no longer participating in any team-related activity unless he gets a new contract.

The terms actually used in the report by ESPN insider Adam Schefter was "reasonable deal."

Pro-Bowl RB Dalvin Cook no longer will participate in any team-related activities until and unless he receives a “reasonable” deal, a source said Monday.

“He’s out,” a source told ESPN. “Without a reasonable extension, he will not be showing up for camp or beyond.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 8, 2020

There are four ways this situation will get resolved: he reports and plays out the final year of his rookie contract, he holds out for part or all of the 2020 season, the Vikings give him a contract extension, or the Vikings decided to trade him.

Under that last scenario, the Miami Dolphins no doubt would get some mention because their roster does not feature a running back who has been to the Pro Bowl and because Cook happens to be from Miami.

But the truth is the likelihood of a trade sending Cook to Miami is rather small, if not microscopic.

Cook starred at Miami Central High before attending Florida State and becoming a third-round pick of the Vikings in 2017.

Cook is scheduled to make $1.3 million in base salary in 2020 after the best season of his career.

In 14 games last year, Cook rushed for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns and added 53 receptions for 519 yards. Cook's 1,654 total yards ranked seventh in the NFL.

The biggest barrier to any trade involving Cook is the thing that would lead the Vikings to even consider a trade, and that's Cook's contract demands.

Based on different reports, Cook is looking to earn as much as $16 million a year, which is the annual average of the contract Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey signed this offseason.

In today's NFL, teams usually are reluctant to give huge contracts to running backs, though there are some exceptions (McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott).

Another factor working against a trade is Cook's position and the durability questions that come with every running back. And in Cook's case, there are red flags in that area already.

Cook has yet to play a full NFL season and missed 19 games the past three seasons.

He tore an ACL as a rookie in 2017 and missed the final 12 games, had a hamstring injury that cost him five games in 2018, and dealt with a shoulder injury that forced him to sit out two games last season.

Even when he did play, the wear and tear made him less and less effective as the 2019 season wore on. He had five 100-yard rushing performances, and all of them came in the first eight weeks. Furthermore, he averaged 5.3 yards per carry five times in those first eight games and was below 4.3 only once. Over his final eight games of 2019, including two playoff games, he never averaged more than 3.7 yards per attempt.

Finally, there's the issue of need.

While Cook certainly is considered a more prolific running back than what the Dolphins have on their roster, the team did land two productive players at that position in the offseason in Jordan Howard and Matt Breida.

Matt Breida breaking ankles pic.twitter.com/hebOBzqnYp
— Kyle Posey (@KP_Show) September 15, 2019

Howard and Breida will give the Dolphins a nice 1-2 speed-and-power look in the backfield after coming over in free agency and via trade, respectively, and they will take up a little more than $8 million of cap space in 2020, according to spotrac.com.

So put it all together, and you can see that this idea of Dalvin Cook coming home to Miami by way of a trade just doesn't add up.