Minnesota Vikings: Holdout rumors mean it’s time to pay Dalvin Cook

The Minnesota Vikings knew they were going to have to pay Dalvin Cook, and now it appears he’s made his plans to hold out for a new deal clear.

There’s no denying it — the Minnesota Vikings have a star running back in Dalvin Cook. And as is his right, he wants to be paid as such. Now it falls on the Vikings to give the 2017 second-round pick the money warranted by his talent and production.

That is unless they want him to hold out and possibly miss games during the upcoming 2020 NFL season.

According to a recent report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cook is planning on holding out until he receives a “reasonable extension” from the Vikings.

So why does it make sense for Cook to hold out? Let me spell it out for you.

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The first and foremost is how instrumental of a weapon he was for the Minnesota offense this past season. Working as both the lead back and an underrated option in the passing game, Cook racked up 1,654 yards of total offense and 13 touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus on Twitter, he also earned the third-highest rushing grade among running backs this past season.

Put simply, Cook is a highly valuable asset who deserves to be paid like one. Unfortunately, heading into the final year of his rookie deal, he’s not getting the type of money you’d expect for a player of his caliber — even at the running back position.

Cook is set to bring in a cash total of $1.33 million in 2020. That puts him at 46th in the NFL among running backs, behind far-less-heralded names like Taiwan Jones, J.D. McKissic, Brian Hill and Mike Davis. Yikes. Can you even tell me which teams those players are on? I didn’t think so.

If I were Cook, I wouldn’t be happy about that either.

Now there are some obvious reasons for the Vikings to avoid jumping the gun on a big-money deal. Despite Cook’s overwhelming talent, he’s been rather injury-prone since entering the league. Through his first three seasons, he’s played in only 29 of 48 possible regular-season games. Cook is routinely banged up and tore his ACL during his rookie campaign. It’s understandable to be a tad hesitant about doling out a massive contract for that type of uncertainty.

The Vikings also boast a rather intriguing backup in Alexander Mattison. Although we’ve yet to see what he can do in a featured role, he flashed serious upside as a rookie in 2019. Picking up 462 yards and a touchdown on 100 carries, the third-round pick out of Boise State proved to be a handful for opponents. Not having Cook wouldn’t be ideal, but Mattison is a solid consolation prize.

With all of that said, Cook is worth the risk and he knows it. Ever since his days at Florida State, he’s been a home-run threat on every touch. We saw that fact in full force last season when Cook played a pivotal role in the Vikings’ run to the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs. Good for him for knowing his worth, and demanding he be paid accordingly.

Here’s my final callout: notice that Schefter says he wants a “reasonable extension.” As great as he is, Cook is well aware of his injury history and the buyer-beware approach to running backs these days. I find it hard to believe he’s looking for Christian McCaffrey- or Ezekiel Elliott-type money. My guess is he just knows he’s worth far more than the $2 million he’ll count against the cap in 2020.

Schefter elaborated via ESPN.com on how much he expects Cook to command via his next deal:

"[David] Johnson — traded this offseason to Houston — makes $13 million a year and Cook wants to match if not surpass that total… The two sides, the Vikings and Cook, have not spoken since last week and have no further talks scheduled. Cook said he has presented what he thinks are “reasonable” proposals this offseason. The Vikings have been unwilling to meet his price."

Now keep in mind that the Vikings came into the 2020 offseason with one of the worst cap situations in the NFL. They’ve since cleared some space via restructuring, trades and cap casualties, but there’s still minimal wiggle room. That’s what happens when general manager Rick Spielman refuses to let top defenders walk and continues to overpay his bipolar franchise quarterback.

Regardless, that’s not Cook’s problem. The man wants to get paid while he’s still got the talent and health to embarrass defenses on a weekly basis. Running backs are running out of gas early these days, and this may be his best (and last) chance to cash in. If the Vikings want him on the field in 2020, they’ll have to find a way to meet his supposedly “reasonable” demands.

Otherwise, Mattison may get that chance to step into a featured role. While I don’t doubt he’d be up to the task, Cook gives the Vikings the best chance to make a return trip to the postseason.

Rick: Pay Cook before this relationship turns sour.