Vikings' Dalvin Cook, a Trade/Release Candidate, Not at Start of Offseason Program

Cook's future with the Vikings is uncertain heading into the 2023 season.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, whose future with the franchise is uncertain, didn't attend the start of the team's voluntary offseason program, wide receiver K.J. Osborn revealed in a press conference on Monday. Cook remains in his home state of Florida.

Much like Danielle Hunter not reporting, this news isn't exactly surprising. Cook is a clear trade or release candidate this offseason, considering the Vikings gave Alexander Mattison a two-year, $7 million contract in free agency. Cook turns 28 this offseason, has a $14.1 million cap hit, and is coming off a season in which his advanced metrics cratered.

"I'm told all options are on the table and he could be released if things don't work out," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said about Cook's future.

Will the Vikings be able to trade Cook? He might be healthier than ever in 2023 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum that he's played through for several years, which could boost his market. 

"He's been playing with one shoulder," Cook's agent Zach Hiller recently said on a podcast. "He's been purposely turning certain ways and thinking about the fact that he's about to get hit."

Regardless, Cook's age and contract mean the Vikings would only get a late-round pick, if anything, in a trade, even though he's a star player coming off four consecutive Pro Bowl appearances.

"Conversations are always ongoing with (Dalvin)," Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said last week. "We’re trying to be solutions-oriented and always trying to put the roster together within our constraints and we’ll continue those conversations."

If a trade doesn't come together, the Vikings could release Cook closer to the draft. Designating his release as post-June 1 would come with $9 million in cap savings and $5.1 million in dead money.

It's also possible Cook could remain on the Vikings' roster for one more season, though that would mean Minnesota would have a combined cap hit of over $20 million for their running backs and fullback C.J. Ham. A trade or release feels like the more likely eventual resolution to this situation.

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