Dalvin Cook rumors: Dolphins a contender to land Vikings RB if he’s cut; trade nearly happened in March

The Minnesota Vikings have been leaving breadcrumbs about their willingness to move from four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook, despite each of his four Pro Bowl appearances coming in the past four seasons. He’s the only player in the NFL to run for more than 1,100 yards in each of the past four seasons, but the Vikings apparently don’t want to pay Cook at his $10.4 million base salary in 2023. 

Head coach Kevin O’Connell went out of his way to praise Cook’s backup, Alexander Mattison, as a “three-down” back last week. Mattison re-signed with the franchise on a two-year, $7 million contract this offseason. If the Vikings can’t find a trade partner willing to take on Cook, which would save them $11 million in cap space, then they could just cut him, a move that would save the team $9 million in cap space.

If the release scenario plays out, Cook’s hometown Dolphins could be “a real possibility” per the Miami Herald. In fact, SI.com reported that back in March, the Vikings and Dolphins came close to a trade that would have sent Cook to Miami. After the deal fell apart, the Vikings continued to ponder a potential pay cut, and even reportedly discussed the idea of using Cook more sparingly by giving Mattison more touches. 

The timing of a resolution on Cook’s situation is murky because he hasn’t shown up to the Vikings’ offseason program following shoulder surgery. There’s always a possibility Cook agrees to an Aaron Jones-like restructure/pay cut that the team finds amenable, but as of now, that scenario appears unlikely.