It was not a well-kept secret that the Minnesota Vikings were going to release running back Dalvin Cook if they couldn’t find a willing trade partner, and per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, that release will happen on Friday, unless there’s a last-minute trade offer. The contract extension Cook signed in 2020 left the Vikings with a cap hit of more than $14.1 million in 2023, more than $15.6 million in 2024, and $14.5 million in 2024. The Vikings will take on a hit over $5.1 million in dead cap this year with his release.
Selected in the second round of the 2017 draft out of Florida State, Cook is coming off his fourth straight 1,000-yard season, though his yards per carry (5.0 in 2020, 4.7 in 2021, and 4.4 in 2022) has dropped in each of the last three seasons. However, Cook forced 52 missed tackles in 2022 per Pro Football Focus, up from his 47 in 2021, and his 3.16 yards per carry after contact in 2022 was an improvement from his 2.73 per carry in 2021.
