The Vikings Were in the Mix to Land Former Bears RB
Josh Frey
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One of the more surprising moves of the Vikings offseason was the re-signing of running back Alexander Mattison to a two-year contract. When the move was made it immediately brought into question the future of Dalvin Cook, but there is also the chance that Minnesota would simply be running it back with their same backfield.
However, it appears that Minnesota may have had a much bigger move in mind before turning back to Mattison. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Vikings were in the mix to land former Bears RB David Montgomery.
“As I understand it, Montgomery had a number of suitors in free agency, including the Bears,” explained Biggs. “Three-fourths of the NFC North was interested in signing him. The Bears, the Detroit Lions (where he landed) and Minnesota Vikings were all in the mix.”
In the end, as Biggs stated, Montgomery ended up signing a three-year, $18 million contract that brought his talents to an exciting, young Detroit Lions squad. He has put together at least 1000 yards from scrimmage in each of his four NFL seasons, and he’s put up at least six touchdowns in all four years as well.
While Minnesota didn’t land the former Bear, it does continue to point to the idea that the Vikings are looking to move on from Dalvin Cook. You don’t go after a back like Montgomery without planning on making him a big part of a rushing offense. There are probably a number of questions surrounding the status of D’Andre Swift now that Montgomery as landed in Detroit as well.
Cook is set to carry a $14.1 million cap hit in 2023, and he will turn 28 years of age in August. Both of these numbers are typically a bit too high for a running back in the NFL, and with Minnesota making a concerted effort to get younger in other areas of their roster, it would make sense for them to try to swing a trade to move Cook elsewhere, or even cut him to save around $6 million against the salary cap.
Overall, the Vikings have a lot of uncertainty surrounding them at the running back position right now, and if they truly were in on Montgomery, it just makes the plans for that position even more uncertain for folks outside of the organization. Only time will tell, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on heading into the spring and summer.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.