Dalvin Cook reportedly wants big money from next team
The Minnesota Vikings spent months looking for a trade partner for Dalvin Cook, but even after the Vikings released Cook on Friday, it doesn't appear the star running back is interested in taking a pay cut.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Cook is looking for a "significant contract" in free agency and isn't interested in signing a lesser deal in order to expedite the process.
"Dalvin Cook...is not coming in for $4 or $5 million," Pelissero said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. "That is not going to happen. This is going to be a significant contract."
If Pelissero's report is accurate, it's a sign that Cook and his camp believe that he is still a top running back. Cook could be seeking a contract in the neighborhood of the $10 million base salary that he was scheduled to make with the Vikings.
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If he's able to get that number, it would be on par with Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys, who all received the $10.09 million franchise tag but less than David Montgomery and Miles Sanders signed for in free agency.
Cook is coming off reconstructive shoulder surgery and is entering his age-28 season. Over the past 20 years, only 42 running backs age 28 or older have run for 1,000 yards in a season. Although Tennessee's Derrick Henry ran for 1,538 yards at age 28 last year, he didn't show the same decline as Cook, who ranked 42nd among 48 running backs (min. 90 attempts) with 41 rushing yards below expected, per Next Gen Stats.
That could be a reason why the Vikings couldn't find a trade partner prior to Cook's release and could be why Pelissero's understanding is that the Vikings never offered him a pay cut prior to his release. Pelissero also believes Cook was not interested in restructuring his contract with the Vikings or another team, further complicating the process when finding a new team.
Who can blame Cook? He's still only 27 years old and had three years left on his deal with the Vikings, each year carrying a cap hit of $14-$15 million. He earned that contract and if the Vikings weren't going to pay it, then he can argue his value with a team that might view him differently.
A report from Denver Broncos insider Mike Klis surfaced on Sunday that said the Denver Broncos "do not appear to be in" on Cook now that he's a free agent.
Despite whatever financial hurdles may exist between Cook and his next team, Pelissero feels there will be a market for the four-time Pro Bowler's services and that he has options moving forward, though he could take his time after collecting a $2 million injury guarantee from the Vikings after his shoulder surgery.
"My understanding is they're open to both a one-year deal and a multi-year deal," Pelissero said. "...We'll kind of see how things fall if he doesn't like the offers that he's got up front here but I do anticipate fully that he's going to be on a team before we get to the regular season. It's just a matter of finding that right fit and a team having to pay. When you've got multiple vendors, usually that means you're going to get some numbers."
