A Potential Dalvin Cook Suitor Will Free Up a Ton of Cap Space This Week
Josh Frey
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On Thursday, the calendar turns over to June, which means a few teams will begin reaping the benefits of any moves designated as post-June 1st by the end of the week. One of the teams seeing massive benefits from the turn of the calendar is a potential Dalvin Cook suitor: the Miami Dolphins.
On Friday, June 2nd, following the June 1st deadline, the Dolphins will suddenly gain a whopping $13.6 million because of their post-June 1st moves, the most in the league.
Other teams soon to have an extra eight figures in spending cash are the Cleveland Browns ($10.915 million) and Dallas Cowboys ($10.9 million) while the Washington Commanders ($4 million), Denver Broncos ($3.75 million), and Arizona Cardinals ($3.215 million) will see modest increases in their salary cap space.
Miami has long been the favorite to land Cook in a potential trade. Part of this has to do with the fact that Cook is from the area, and it would be a homecoming story for him to land in Miami. Additionally, they have been loading up on talent to put around Tua Tagovailoa on the offensive side of the ball.
Currently, Cook is set to carry a $14.1 million cap hit in 2023, and by trading him after June 1st, the Vikings would save $11 million against the cap this year along with $12.5 million in 2024 and $14.5 million in 2025.
Adding the $13.6 million in cap space to Miami’s total, it makes things much easier for them to bring the veteran RB aboard. Currently, they only have $1.314 million in cap space, but that total will jump to $14.914 by Friday, leaving them comfortably in range to add Cook’s contract.
With Minnesota opting to bring back Alexander Mattison in free agency while also drafting DeWayne McBride, the assumption has been that the Vikings will opt to move on from the four-time Pro Bowler this offseason.
However, recent reports have suggested that Cook is more open to taking a pay cut in order to remain with the Vikings in 2023. This goes against initial reports from earlier in the offseason, so if Cook is willing to take a Harrison Smith-esque reduction in his pay, it makes a lot more sense for the Vikings to keep him around one more year.
We also have to keep in mind that, with training camp approaching, the Vikings likely won’t be in a huge hurry to move on. Injuries will inevitably happen around the league this summer, and if Minnesota or another team were to lose a running back, Cook could become much more valuable than he is at this current point in time.
As of now, there doesn’t appear to be any imminent decision regarding Cook’s status with the Vikings, whether it be moving him or the veteran remaining in Minnesota. This is one of the final puzzle pieces for the team to sort out prior to getting the ball rolling this fall.
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.