Vikings officially release Dalvin Cook, hint at future in Ring of Honor
Officially official: Dalvin Cook has been released by the Minnesota Vikings.
The team made the move public just before noon Friday, a decision that frees up an estimated $9.1 million in cap space while giving Cook the immediate freedom to sign wherever he wants as an unrestricted free agent.
"I hold Dalvin in the highest regard and am grateful for his contributions on and off the field. Dalvin is a tough, dynamic player and a respected leader by his teammates, which was evident by his multiple seasons as a team captain," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said in a prepared statement.
"As a finalist for the 2022 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, Dalvin's approach to the game and his commitment to sportsmanship is clearly respected across the league. We appreciate Dalvin's positivity, energy and leadership and will be pulling for him in the future."
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah called Cook an "incredible leader" who has "etched his name in Vikings history."
Vikings owners Zygi and Wilf issued a joint statement in which they hint that Cook will someday be inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor.
"We are extremely grateful for all Dalvin has done for the Vikings and look forward to welcoming him back as a Legend," the Wilfs said.
We had plenty of reaction to the report Thursday that Cook's release was coming Friday. Click our stories below for great reaction and insight to what could happen next.
Matthew Coller's instant reaction: Vikings part ways with Dalvin Cook
What's next for the Vikings after cutting Dalvin Cook?
Where does Dalvin Cook sit on the Vikings' Mount Rushmore of running backs?
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.