Patriots: 'Certainly Not' Signing Dalvin Cook; 'Highly Interested' in Ezekiel Elliott?

The New England Patriots have shown interest in signing a running back. Yet, it seems very unlikely that they will sign Dalvin Cook.

It is no secret the New England Patriots have been keeping a close eye on the running back market. In recent weeks the Patriots brought several veteran backs to Foxboro for workouts. 

Two of those included big names like Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette. While it is common for teams to bring players in for workouts and let them walk away without a contract, it seems like the Patriots are at least eyeing the possibility of making an addition. Yet, according to a recent report in The Athletic, you can rule the Patriots out of the Dalvin Cook sweepstakes. 

"The Jets have shown heavy interest in Dalvin Cook, but there haven’t been any recent developments on that, according to a league source," Howe wrote in The Athletic. "The Patriots, who had some peripheral interest in Cook, are now almost certainly not going in that direction, according to a league source."

This revelation about the Patriots and Cook came directly after writer Jeff Howe noted that the Patriots are still "highly interested" in former Dallas Cowboys running back Zeke. But why is that? Based on the last few seasons, many would say Cook has been the better player of late.

One can assume that the decision to go after Elliott instead of Cook would be a financial one. Following his release from the Minnesota Vikings, reports emerged in June that Cook wanted to earn $10 million from his next team. However, a more recent report from ESPN's Rich Cimini stated that Cook was looking for $8 million this season. 

Knowing the Patriots' history of not paying market value for running backs, you can understand why it feels safe to say that New England is no longer a frontrunner. 

In contrast to Cook, it is believed that Zeke will be much cheaper for the Patriots to acquire. While additionally, he wouldn't demand the workload of a starting running back. 

With Rhamondre Stevenson still on his rookie deal and expected to carry the burden of being RB1 this season, the Patriots would like to bolster their depth behind him.

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