Minnesota Vikings: Will Dalvin Cook get a deal similar to Derrick Henry’s?

Will Dalvin Cook’s deal with the Minnesota Vikings be similar to Derrick Henry’s?

One of the continued storylines of the offseason leading up to the start of the 2020 NFL season is whether or not the Minnesota Vikings will choose to extend young star running back Dalvin Cook. About a month ago, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that Cook will holdout from team activities leading into the new year while seeking a new deal ahead of his fourth season in the league in 2020.

Cook, who is on the final year of his rookie contract after being drafted by Minnesota in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, is set to make around $1.3 million this year after coming off of a solid 2019 campaign that resulted in the first Pro Bowl appearance of his young career.

While other running backs around the league have agreed to large extensions this offseason, there are a number of options for Minnesota and Cook when it comes to trying to extend the running back this offseason or during the 2020 campaign.

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After Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey agreed to a large four-year, $64 million extension earlier this offseason, another top-tier running back also had his contract extended recently which could make things clearer as to what type of contract Cook will be looking for with the Vikings.

This week, Derrick Henry became the second star rusher agreeing to a new contract when he signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. That deal includes $25.5 million guaranteed.

With that most recent news of Henry re-signing in Tennessee, that contract could potentially impact and influence what type of contract talks Cook and Minnesota end up having for a remainder of the offseason.

Both Cook and the Vikings know the running back won’t get a deal to the caliber of McCaffrey’s extension that he signed with the Panthers, but Henry’s new deal is more along the lines of what could be more realistic for the 24-year-old.

Henry, Titans could provide blueprint for Minnesota Vikings and Dalvin Cook.

First, let’s compare the production from 2019 between Cook and Henry.  With Tennessee, Henry finished with a league- and career-best 1,540 rushing yards with 303 carries and 16 touchdowns on the ground. Through the air, the 26-year-old added 18 receptions for 206 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games.

A year ago, Cook finished the year appearing in a career-high 14 regular-season games, tallying 250 carries for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns, which is tied for the most rushing touchdowns in a season in franchise history. Cook also finished the season with a total of 53 catches for 519 yards through the air out of the backfield.

Cook’s camp has reportedly been looking for a contract that would make him a top-five paid running back in the league, which would mean that annual number would have to be around $12-13 million per season. That seems like an unlikely thing to happen from Minnesota’s standpoint.

Given the fact that Cook has failed to remain fully healthy for a full season thus far in his career, a more realistic number for Cook could be around the $10 million mark to extend his career with the Vikings in 2020 and beyond.

Henry’s recent contract extension will factor into the negotiations between Minnesota and it’s star running back, and it’s likely that we could see Cook starting to ask for a contract somewhere in the ballpark of what the Titans running back received from his team this week.