3 biggest mistakes from the NFL offseason

Biggest NFL offseason mistakes: 2. Minnesota Vikings letting go of Dalvin Cook

The NFL was built on the backs of running backs, yet today, this position is bearing the brunt of financial exploitation. The market has been hostile to running backs on the cusp of securing new deals, with failed extensions for league leaders such as Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley.

Faced with the option of re-signing Dalvin Cook or letting him go, the Minnesota Vikings decided to part ways with their premier running back. It continues a trend for the Vikings: a continued distancing from the RB-laden days of Mike Zimmer in preference of Kirk Cousins’ frequent lobs to the endzone. It worked well enough for the Vikings last season, and they did draft Jordan Addison in the first round. However, the vital piece of information every franchise seems to have forgotten is that the best NFL teams reflect balance, which supports variety. A predictable offense is a stoppable one, and the Vikings just rid themselves of one of the most productive running backs in recent years.

Cook is coming off his fourth consecutive 1,000-plus season in rushing yards, with four rushes that went for 40 yards or more in 2022, per The Athletic (subscription required). His cap hit of $14.1 million in 2023 was the third-highest among running backs, and considering the current market for running backs, it’s not surprising that the Vikings were uninterested in continuing on Cook’s five-year deal worth $63 million.

Instead, the Vikings are moving forward with Alexander Mattison, who has served as Cook’s backup since being drafted by the Vikings in 2019. While Cook has gotten the majority of carries, comparing Mattison’s rushing attempts and yards per season to Cook’s numbers further proves that Cook is the more capable of the two.

In 2017, Cook logged 354 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 74 attempts. In 2022, Mattison logged 283 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the same amount of attempts. In 2018, Cook recorded 615 rushing yards on 133 attempts, while Mattison recorded 491 yards on 134 attempts. It’s true that Mattison was utilized in different situations, which accounts for some of the discrepancies, yet Mattison had a comparable amount of opportunities to push for more yards and came up short compared to Cook.

The Vikings took a hit when releasing Cook, and perhaps a dropoff at the position seems worth the cost, a move the rest of the NFL seems to endorse with their own frugal decisions at running back. But considering Addison’s recent driving citation and a now-increased focus on Justin Jefferson as the primary offensive weapon, the Vikings may be even more short-handed than they realize.