Rick Spielman: Vikings "Working Extremely Hard" To Get Deal Done With Dalvin Cook

Spielman wouldn't offer any specific details, but he did say that the Vikings are working closely with Cook's agent.

Vikings training camp is underway, with on-field practices coming in a couple weeks, and Dalvin Cook still doesn't have a new contract. According to Rick Spielman, who spoke to the media on Monday, the Vikings are working closely with Cook's camp in an effort to get something done.

However, it has to be a good deal for both sides.

I’m not going to sit here and talk about the business side, but I know how important Dalvin Cook is," Spielman said. "I know we’ve been working closely with his agent, and we’ll continue to work to try to see if there’s a deal that we feel is not only fair to Dalvin but fair to us as well.”

Back in early June, it was announced that Cook would be holding out from all Vikings activities until he received a "reasonable" offer on a contract extension. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Cook wanted to be paid like a top-five running back in the league and reportedly felt disrespected by the Vikings' offers in the range of $8 million per year.

The problem for Cook is that a holdout was never a realistic option at his disposal, given that language in the new CBA essentially prevents them. So Cook reported to training camp last Tuesday with the rest of his veteran teammates because he didn't really have any other option.

That doesn't mean Cook isn't still seeking a new contract. And from everything that has been said publicly, the Vikings would like to get a deal done as well. They value not only what Cook brings to their offense, but his presence as a leader in the locker room and an important figure in the Twin Cities community.

So will something get worked out soon?

"I can’t predict the future, so I just know where we’re at now," Spielman said. "We’re working extremely hard with him and his agent on trying to come to a common place where we can get him locked up.”

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