Positive News For Vikings As Determined Dalvin Cook Reports To Camp

After an offseason that saw the Minnesota Vikings suffer more losses than wins in free agency, it appeared the team would take another blow at the start of training camp.

Running back Dalvin Cook, the team’s best and most explosive player, was headed for a holdout in the final season of his contract with the team. Cook had seen Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey and Tennessee power back Derrick Henry sign huge contracts, and it was time for Cook to get his.

McCaffrey signed a deal that will see him earn an average of $16 million over the next four years, while Henry’s deal will pay him an average of $12.5 million over the same time frame.

Cook will earn slightly more than $2 million this season, with $1.33 million in salary and nearly $700K from the last payment of his signing bonus, per Spotrac.

Cook is not holding out, and he is in camp with the rest of his teammates and is preparing for a full load this season. He says he does not want to compare himself to McCaffrey, Henry or any other running back in the league because he knows he is a unique talent and has his own style.

Cook looked like the best running back in the league through much of the season in 2019, and he ended the year with dramatic numbers. He carried the ball 250 times for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he also caught 53 passes (63 targets) for 519 yards. He demonstrated that he could get open and also make the athletic catch when quarterback Kirk Cousins did not hit him in stride with a perfect pass.

The 2020 season would be a difficult one for any player who wanted to conduct a holdout. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen significant financial hardship for millions of Americans, and millionaire players who don’t believe they are getting their fair share would not get sympathy from individuals who have concerns about making next month’s rent payment or putting groceries on the table.

Cook plays a position that does not get much respect from those who set the market. While running backs are still very important when it comes to the gameplan each week, the life span of most running backs is often five years or less. Top running backs will last longer, but it is usually quite difficult for most running backs to maintain their explosiveness and productivity when the hard hits from tacklers begin to accumulate.

However, if Cook can stay healthy and maintain or increase his level of productivity in 2020, he will certainly benefit as a free agent after the 2020 season. That appears to be what the running back is banking on.

Cook was relatively healthy last year, as he played 14 of the team’s 16 games, sitting out the final two regular-season games with a clavicle injury. Cook could have played in those games, but the Vikings didn’t want to risk further injury with the postseason looming.

Cook has a huge advocate in head coach Mike Zimmer, who told reporters that he fully respects his running back and what he means to the team.

“Dalvin is a great person,” Zimmer said, per The Athletic. “He’s a really good leader in the offensive room, he’s good with all his teammates, he loves to play the game of football. I think he’s done a good job. Everybody wants to get a new contract. Obviously, that’s not my issue. But I love the kid and hope he gets whatever he deserves.”

That’s easy for Zimmer to say since he can play the role of good cop since he is not involved in the team’s negotiations with players. That’s general manager Rick Spielman’s job.

Cook is likely to be even more important to the Vikings’ fortunes in 2020 than he has been in the past. The Minnesota defense has taken several hits and is not likely to be a strong as it has been in the past. On the offensive side, wideout Stefon Diggs has taken his talents to Buffalo, and while Adam Thielen and tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr. are talented, the passing game does not look overly threatening.

The Vikings will depend on Cook and a veteran offensive line to get the job done on an every-week basis.

If that happens, Cook will get his money and will almost certainly become one of the highest paid running backs in the league.