Dalvin Cook is entering the final year of his rookie contract. By that time, the Vikings will have had to make a decision: Does Minnesota sign Cook or hold off on a position that many don’t value?
Sam Ekstrom, a reporter at Zone Coverage, went on the radio station SKOR North to discuss.
“You don’t need him to last five more years,” Ekstrom said. “In defense of giving him a contract, the Vikings are usually pretty savvy about the way they structure these deals.”
Ekstrom went on to say how the Vikings typically structure deals, where the last two years of a five-year contract will look big in terms of numbers, but are flexible with the salary cap.
I personally find Cook to be a bit underrated at this point. If the Vikings’ offense was able to run without him, it would have against the Packers in Week 16. Instead, Mike Boone, the starting running back, had just 28 yards. Cook had 154 in the first game against Green Bay.
Running backs, once overvalued, have swung to the other side of the pendulum where they are now kind of undervalued. Some people think you can throw just anyone back there and the Vikings would be fine, but I think Cook adds a dimension to this offense that is important. His health is a concern, yes, but when he’s healthy, he has been good.
“You just need to appease him for the next three years,” Ekstrom said. “Give him something that’s going to get him through that age 27 season, and then you can sort of decide at that point.”
I think if the Vikings can get a contract that is flexible in later years in case Cook gets injured, then they should do it.
“It’s going to become a staring contest.”
– @SamEkstrom describing how he expects Dalvin Cook’s contract negotiations to go. pic.twitter.com/D177NCifNL
— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) February 25, 2020
