Purple Headlines of the Week: Brian Flores, Jefferson’s Big Award, Cook on His Way Out?
Josh Frey
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It certainly was a busy week in the Minnesota Vikings world with a number of purple headlines regarding the NFL Awards, their defensive coordinator search, and some contracts with their current players. Here’s a look at all the big news that happened over the course of the week.
Brian Flores Heads to Minnesota
The first big story of the week revolved around the conclusion of the Vikings search for their next defensive coordinator. After firing Ed Donatell, the Vikings spent multiple weeks meeting with candidates for their DC job in 2023.
Then, on Monday evening, the Vikings announced that they had found their guy: former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. After coaching the Dolphins from 2019-21, he spent the 2022 season as the linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now he heads to Minnesota hoping to revamp a Vikings defense that ranked near the bottom of the league in multiple statistical categories.
Justin Jefferson Wins OPOY
Justin Jefferson has quickly become one of the best NFL players over the course of his first three seasons. In 2022, he managed to take his game to another level, leading the league in both receptions and receiving yards with 128 and 1809, respectively.
He made big plays throughout the entire season for the Vikings, helping them go 13-4 to win the NFC North. For his efforts, Jefferson was awarded the Offensive Player of the Year award during the NFL Honors show.
Dalvin Cook Reportedly Won’t Take a Pay Cut
Dalvin Cook has been one of the more consistent RBs in the NFL over the past few years, recording four straight 1000-yard seasons from 2019-2022. However, Cook certainly took a step back during the Vikings most recent season, with his lowest rushing total since 2019 despite playing every regular season game for the first time in his career.
Now, Cook is set to carry a cap hit above $14.1 million. This is an exuberant amount of money for a running back in today’s NFL, and it calls into question whether or not he will be a Viking in 2023.
That became even more of a question when Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported earlier in the week that Cook won’t take a pay cut in 2023. If this is the case, he may end up becoming a cap casualty this offseason as the Vikings try to put a dent in the $23 million that they have to free up in order to get under the salary cap.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.