Vikings should just hold their ground with Dalvin Cook

Based on what he was seeking in a new contract, the Vikings should just hold their ground with Dalvin Cook.

A shift toward the run for the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 yielded a breakout for Dalvin Cook, as he posted 1,694 total yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. He’s also now entering the final year of his rookie contract. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday night that Cook will not participate in any further team activities without a “reasonable” contract extension.

As the engine of the Vikings’ offense, with second-highest designed run percentage in the league last year (47.4 percent) and him taking 38.1 percent of the team’s touches, the Vikings have seemed to be painted into a corner regarding a new deal for Cook.

According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the initial figure proposed by Cook’s camp was close to $16 million per year but has since “dropped” to under $15 million per year. That $16 million figure is Christian McCaffrey, top of the running back market money, which is hard to say Cook is worth with 19 missed games in his career. Cronin also reported the Vikings initial offer to Cook was for below $10 million per year, with the word “disrespectful” added from a source.

What options do the Vikings have with Dalvin Cook?

Cook could carry a holdout through training camp, or into the season. But the league’s new CBA makes that unlikely, since he would lose an accrued season toward unrestricted free agency if he failed to report to camp.

Top-five running back money is $13 million per year, which is what David Johnson is set to make in 2020. So it’s not a shock that Cronin further reported, according to sources, a $13 million per year offer is one Cook would “gladly take.”

If their first offer was below $10 million per year, the Vikings clearly low-balled Cook. His camp’s proposal of anything close to McCaffrey money was probably a “let’s see if they’ll give it to us” thing. A meeting in the middle ($13 million per year?) feels certain, but the Vikings don’t have to and shouldn’t do anything right now.