Dalvin Cook: “I’m Looking For a Home” Could it be Miami?

Free agent tailback Dalvin Cook has dropped plenty of hints that he'd like to play for the Miami Dolphins, but can Miami get the offer right?

There’s a short list of NFL tailbacks who are more potent offensive weapons than Dalvin Cook, who the Minnesota Vikings made a free agent last week by releasing the four-time Pro Bowl tailback.

Some (like Derrick Henry) might be better runners, but only Nick Chubb, Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley and Alvin Kamara are in Cook’s stratosphere when it comes to being a dual-threat weapon in the NFL.

That is why the argument can be made that Cook, who is coming off his fourth straight season of rushing for more than 1,100 yards, remains one of the NFL's top 10 tailbacks, if not a member of the top five.

The 27-year-old told the Rich Eisen Show he plans to show the NFL that he's far from washed up when he finally lands with a new team.

“Whoever gets Dalvin Cook, they know what they’re getting,” Cook told Tom Pelissero, who was hosting the Rich Eisen Show. “I’m going to be a great team player. A great teammate and a great person in the locker room. I’m just ready to go run the rock and help somebody win games.”

COOK PLAYING "WAITING GAME"

Cook described his free agency as “a waiting game,” expounded on that by saying he’s “trying to find the right situation.”

Cook admitted he’s been hit up by tons of players the past month while exploring his options. Teams can officially begin contract negotiation with Cook, and most of the NFL expects the Miami Dolphins to be among the bidders.

What is Cook looking for?

“I want the value. I want somebody that values Dalvin Cook. I want somebody that wants me to be there. Someone who wants to give me the ball,” said Cook, who rushed for 1,173 yards on 264 carries, and caught 39 passes for 295 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last season. “I want to be in the right situation to help somebody win.

🗣️ @dalvincook

On his love for Minnesota, what his new team will be getting and who's all in the mix and blowing up his phone — great chat today with the free agent running back and guest host @TomPelissero:#NFL #SKOL pic.twitter.com/8yAnuOnck3

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) June 13, 2023

“The money is going to come,” Cook continued. “You play good and they are going to pay you. I want to go somewhere and feel like it’s home for me, go somewhere and help somebody win. Just go turn it loose. I’m looking for a home.”

Those comments hint that Cook isn’t just looking for a bridge contract, which is what players who are available so late in the offseason often receive.

Established NFL players with leverage rarely sign one-year deals because those types of contracts fail to protect them against injury. So don’t be surprised if Cook signs a two-year with the intent to come back to the table in 2024 for an extension, especially if he’s still an NFL pacesetter when it comes to productivity.

WHAT COULD A DEAL FOR COOK LOOK LIKE?

A year ago the Dolphins signed Chase Edmonds to a two-year deal worth $12.6 million, which featured a $4.1 million signing bonus. Edmonds, who struggled in Miami before being traded to Denver as part of the Bradley Chubb deal, is far less established than Cook. The Dolphins could sweeten that deal by offering more of a signing bonus, and adding contract escalators for yardage, touchdowns and possibly a Pro Bowl selection in 2023.

Don't expect the fact Miami re-signed all four of last year's tailbacks — Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin — to prevent the team's decision-makers from making a deal with Cook and his camp. Ahmed and Gaskin aren't guaranteed to make the roster, and their release would clear $2.4 million in cap space. And Mostert and Wilson are accustomed to sharing the backfield.

“He’s an explosive playmaker,” Rick Spielman told The 33rd Team, analyzing the tailback he drafted as the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, a job he held for 10 seasons. “He runs physical. He’s always gaining extra yards after the contact. He can make plays from anywhere on the field. Anyone who ends up with Dalvin Cook is not only going to get one heck of a football player, but a great leader in that locker room as well.”

"He's a phenomenal football player, but he's a great leader in the locker room." @Spielman_Rick reacts to the news in Minnesota that the organization is parting ways with RB Dalvin Cook.

👇VIDEO👇 | #Vikings | #Skol pic.twitter.com/0wYV4G7JNw

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) June 8, 2023

NFL free agents and their agents have used the Miami Dolphins annually to help improve their market.

The running commentary is that if Dolphins owner Steve Ross is bidding, everyone better bid high, and Ross actually likes that reputation because it usually provides him a seat at the table when high-profit players become available.

This likely is one of those situations that’s not a leverage play considering Cook has dropped more than his share of hints that he’d like to play for the Dolphins, which included two Dolphins-centric social media posts the day it was announced that Minnesota planned to release him.

Cook claims learning plays and digesting a playbook “is the easy part.” His focus is on getting his surgically repaired shoulder healthy, and getting himself in phenomenal shape for the next month.

“I’m all fixed up now," Cook said. "You know what you’re getting out of Davlin Cook. As soon as a step foot in the locker room I’m going to be the best leader. The best teammate and I’m going to show that by my actions and how I carry myself.”