Dalvin Cook Isn’t Ruling Out a Vikings NFC Rival for the 2023 Season
Josh Frey
|
The Minnesota Vikings parted ways with their longtime starting running back Dalvin Cook on June 9th, and ever since then, the four-time Pro Bowler has been on the search for a new team.
There have been a number of different franchises in the running, including the entire AFC East division having some sort of link to Cook. However, the RB apparently isn’t ruling out a Vikings NFC rival for his next team, either.
That rival is the Dallas Cowboys. Cook was asked on NFL Live about his consideration of the Cowboys as a free-agent landing spot. He replied, “Yeah, Dallas, they’ve been right there. Just need to turn that page the last few years. And like you said, T.P. [Tony Pollard] is a great running back. Just partnering up with a great running back, with a great running mate, it’d be good, man. So hey, I don’t know.”
This is an interesting connection considering the Cowboys released Ezekiel Elliott earlier this offseason for similar reasons that the Vikings released Cook. Not only is Elliott in his late-20s at 28 years old, but he was going to cost $16.4 million against Dallas’ salary cap in 2023.
Dallas seemed content to move on with Tony Pollard as their lead back after he surpassed 1000 yards in 2022 at over 5 yards per carry. They also employ rookie Deuce Vaughn as well as Ronald Jones. Jones was suspended for the first two games of the regular season, though, due to a PED violation.
Currently, the Cowboys have the fourth-most salary cap space in the NFL at $19.6 million. This is plenty of room to bring in Cook if they wanted him, but it remains strange that they would move on from Elliott just to sign the former Viking.
Cook finished his Vikings career as a four-time Pro Bowler, appearing in each of the events since 2019. During that four-year stretch, he also surpassed 1100 rushing yards in every season.
Among all-time Vikings ranks, Cook sits as the franchise’s third-leading rusher (5,993 yards) behind Adrian Peterson (11,747) and Robert Smith (6,818). His 47 rushing touchdowns rank fourth behind Peterson (97), Chuck Foreman (52), and Bill Brown (52). And his rushing yards per game (82.1) are second, only trailing Peterson (95.5).
In the end, a landing spot such as the New York Jets likely makes more sense for the RB, particularly after Aaron Rodgers restructured his contract to free up money this season. New York has just under $16 million in cap space, plenty of room to add another veteran piece like Cook.
However, it appears that all cards remain on the table for the former Viking’s next team. With training camps well under way, it should only be a matter of time before a decision is made.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. 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.