Vikings to Officially Release Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook on Friday
The Vikings have informed four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook that they are releasing him, according to multiple reports. The move will officially process on Friday, so "unless a Hail Mary trade offer comes through, he'll be free to sign with any team starting after 4 p.m. Friday," says NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
At long last, this situation has a resolution. Cook had been a logical trade or release candidate since the end of last season for a variety of reasons, including his $14.1 million cap hit, his age, poor advanced metrics in 2022, and the general value of the position he plays. When the Vikings re-signed Alexander Mattison in free agency and drafted DeWayne McBride, the writing on the wall was even clearer.
Still, it took a while for this move to come, which left Cook in a state of limbo. He hadn't attended any offseason activities. Because they waited until after June 1st to release Cook, the Vikings will clear up $9 million in cap space and eat roughly $5.1 million in dead money. That's a significant chunk of money that is now available to GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah this summer.
Drafted by the Vikings in the second round out of Florida State in 2017, Cook had an impressive six-year run in Minnesota. He dealt with significant adversity in his first two seasons in the form of injuries, tearing his ACL early in his rookie season and missing five games with a hamstring injury in his second season. Since then, Cook has four straight 1,000-yard seasons and four consecutive Pro Bowl selections.
Since the start of 2019, Cook's 5,024 rushing yards trails only Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb. He trails only Henry in touches, yards from scrimmage, and rushing touchdowns during that span. For his career, Cook has 5,993 rushing yards on 4.7 yards per carry, making him the third-leading rusher in Vikings history behind Adrian Peterson and Robert Smith. His best season came in 2020, when he racked up 1,918 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns in just 14 games. Cook struggled in three career postseason games with the Vikings, averaging 3.3 yards per carry and 3.6 yards per reception.
In 2022, Cook played all 17 regular season games for the first time in his career, but he posted career lows in yards per game and yards per carry. Some of Cook's advanced metrics, including rushing yards over expected, were among the league's worst. 32 percent of his carries went for one yard or less. Still, he did have some notable highlights, including an 81-yard touchdown against the Bills, a 53-yard touchdown against the Dolphins, and a 64-yard receiving score on a screen pass against the Colts.
Cook underwent shoulder surgery this offseason to fix a torn labrum that he has played through for several seasons. Issues like dislocation popped up a handful of times over the past few years. Cook — who turns 28 in August — could benefit this season from having a repaired shoulder.
The Vikings' current running back room consists of Mattison, Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, and the rookie McBride.
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