In another instance of "maybe we shouldn't have paid that guy so much", the Minnesota Vikings are set to release their 4 time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook after he put up almost 1500 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 games last season.
Cook is currently playing on a 5-year, $63 million dollar contract that nets him $14.1M/year. The Vikings expressed concerns with Cook's durability issues despite the veteran back appearing in all 17 games last season and making his fourth Pro Bowl. More than durability, Minnesota seems to be weighing his hefty contract against his injury history and the fact that Cook is entering his seventh season this year. Generally, you don't want to be the team left holding the bag when an aging, injury-prone, expensive player tweaks something in camp and spends the year on the bench.
If anyone was willing to trade for Cook, it would have already happened. Now we wait and see if any last minute surprises occur, but barring that Cook will be up for grabs to the highest bidder. In cutting the star back, Minnesota saves $9M in cap space for 2023 while being left with just over $8M in dead money they owe. Any potential suitors will have to satisfy the aging star's financial requirements, but the fact that no teams were willing to absorb his current $14.1M yearly salary, Cook will have to take a pay cut in some fashion.
The teams with the most cap space currently (Chicago, Carolina, Arizona, New York Jets, and Detroit) either already have their backfields full, or are rebuilding in such a way that signing a veteran running back doesn't make much sense for them. This means Cook will be headed to a team without the cap room to pay him top dollar. Here are the five teams with the interest (and the need) that will most likely end up signing Dalvin Cook.
Miami Dolphins
Miami has suffered from less-than-healthy backfields for the better part of the last decade. Landing Cook would immediately bolster their backfield and take some pressure off perennially concussed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Miami has playoffs-or-bust expectations in 2023 and if Dalvin Cook can stay healthy, he could be the piece that puts them into true Super Bowl contention.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas released former first round running back Ezekiel Elliott this offseason and promoted backup Tony Pollard to the starting role. Pollard has shown true potential yet landing another big name in the backfield would certainly make Jerry Jones sleep better at night. How hard Dallas will pursue Cook remains to be seen, as he isn't far from the age and restrictions that led to the Cowboys cutting Elliott, but he presents as the type of guy Jones would love to bring aboard.
Denver Broncos
The scuttlebutt is full steam ahead here, with many analysts predicting that if it's not Miami, Denver will be the front runner for Cook. Denver has young star Javonte Williams returning from a triple-ligament tear in his knee, but adding Cook to the backfield would essentially create the Williams/Melvin Gordon tandem of the last few seasons but even better. After trading Bradley Chubb last season, the Denver defensive front practically fell apart, so Broncos GM George Paton will have to decide if he needs an aging star running back, or an aging star defensive lineman (Justin Houston, Frank Clark, and Yannick Ngakoue are still available).
New York Jets
Apart from having the cap room to likely outbid any other suitors, the Jets are also in "win-now" mode after their blockbuster trade for Aaron Rodgers. With Rookie of the Year Breece Hall recovering from an ACL surgery, the Jets will have to limit the young star early in the season if they hope to get prime production out of him down the stretch. That's where adding a Pro Bowl caliber player like Cook to the equation makes sense. In signing Cook the Jets would relieve a little pressure off Hall's return, and give the team some depth at a position notorious for taking a beating.
Kansas City Chiefs
The reigning Super Bowl champs have not had the type of production out of their backfield they hoped for after drafting Clyde Edwards-Hilaire in the first round in 2020. Seventh rounder Isiah Pacheco impressed last season, and speedy back Jerick McKinnon was more than ample from a receiving perspective yet they haven't been able to establish a power running game to take some pressure off Patrick Mahomes. Cook would add depth and versatility to the Chiefs offense, as a player who can do all the things they currently employ 2-3 running backs to do. With only $3.8M in cap space, the Chiefs would have to work some cap magic or get Cook to agree to a massively team-friendly, back-loaded deal in order to sign the veteran back, but if Cook wants to win a ring before he's too old, teaming up with Mahomes is the most surefire way to achieve that.
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