Vikings Brass Provides Non-Update on Dalvin Cook, Za'Darius Smith
The Vikings remain in a state of limbo with stars Dalvin Cook and Za'Darius Smith, both of whom are trade candidates for different reasons. Speaking to reporters on Thursday alongside head coach Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn't have any updates on the status of either player.
That's notable because the Vikings' offseason program begins on Monday. It's all technically voluntary until the mandatory minicamp portion in June, but players are expected to attend.
"Our voluntary program had really, really strong attendance a year ago and the expectation is we’ll have the same again this year," O'Connell said.
It'll be interesting to see if Smith shows up to any team activities. The Pro Bowl pass rusher, who reportedly wants a new contract, bid farewell to the team in a tweet last month, despite being under contract for the next two seasons. Smith may wind up being traded or released — the Vikings signed Marcus Davenport, who could be his replacement — but he's still on the roster right now.
"We are in ongoing communication with (Za'Darius) and his representatives," Adofo-Mensah said. "Like Kevin said, it’s voluntary so those aren't things that we’re necessarily concerned with. We try to be solutions-oriented here. That's what we’ll always talk about, and sometimes solutions come from different places or whatever. He's a great member of our team last year and we’ll keep the conversation ongoing."
Smith had 10 sacks and finished fourth in the NFL with 78 pressures in his first season with the Vikings. The former Packer has a $15.5 million cap hit in 2023 (18th-highest among edge rushers), which is the second year of the three-year, $42 million deal he signed coming off an injury-marred 2021 campaign in Green Bay.
The Cook situation is a bit different. The longtime Vikings running back doesn't necessarily want out of Minnesota, but he's been an obvious trade or release candidate all offseason. Cook turns 28 this summer, is coming off the worst season of his career by advanced metrics, and has a $14.1 million cap hit. He plays a position where players tend to fall off quickly — and one that the broader analytics movement has significantly devalued.
Cook, who has made four consecutive Pro Bowls, had shoulder surgery earlier this offseason, which delayed the possibility of a trade. Now that he's on the way to being fully recovered, it's something that presumably could happen before too long.
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Adofo-Mensah didn't have much of an update on Cook, either.
"Again, conversations are always ongoing with (Dalvin)," he said. "We’re trying to be solutions-oriented and always trying to put the roster together within our constraints and we’ll continue those conversations."
The Vikings eventually moving on from Cook seemingly became even more likely when the team gave his backup, Alexander Mattison, a two-year, $7 million contract. That's a bit more than backup running back money. Asked if he would've given Mattison that deal if he knew Cook would be on the roster, Adofo-Mensah mostly deflected.
"I think in theory, they could exist and of course, different style of backs," he said. "We talk about the systems we’re trying to play together. They’re a different style of backs. They could fit complementary to the other for sure."
On the field, sure. They've been doing that for the last four seasons, when Mattison was on a rookie contract and Cook was in his prime. But are the Vikings really going to have over $20 million committed to Cook, Mattison, and fullback C.J. Ham this season? That remains unlikely.
Eventually, something has to give when it comes to Smith and Cook. But because this upcoming portion of the offseason program is voluntary, there's still plenty of time for things to get worked out.
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