The Minnesota Vikings could be making another major change to their offense this offseason. After releasing veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen earlier in the offseason, running back Dalvin Cook could meet the same fate soon.
According to NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler, via Dov Kleiman on Twitter, the Vikings are seriously considering cutting Dalvin Cook before the 2023 NFL Draft. The draft gets underway on April 27th and releasing Cook would be quite a move.
Normally, it would be hard to imagine Minnesota not being able to get some value for him in a trade, even if it is just a Day 3 draft pick. But, with how much the running back position has been devalued and how underwhelming the market was this offseason, everything is on the table.
The news brought about some strong reactions from fans on NFL Twitter. One person believes that releasing Cook would be a bad move for the Vikings.
“This would be a horrible move for the Vikings. Cook may be slightly overpaid, but he’s one of the best in the game,” one fan tweeted.
The re-signing of Alexander Mattison, who agreed to a deal with guaranteed money in the second year of it, raised a lot of eyebrows. Some thought that was a sign of things to come in regard to Cook and those people may have been right.
Whenever Cook has missed time, Mattison has stepped in and produced at a high level. The Florida State product has given the Vikings six strong seasons, but as one fan put it, it may be time to part ways.
“Hate to say it, but it’s time. Wish you the best Dalvin!”
Where could Cook end up? There are a few teams around the league whose backfields could certainly use a jolt. A few contenders come to mind, one of them being the Miami Dolphins. One fan tweeted out their hope that is where Cook ends up.
“All I really want to see is Dalvin Cook coming to the Fins,” another fan said.
The Dolphins were among the least productive teams on the ground during the 2022 season despite the running game being head coach Mike McDaniel’s background. They re-signed Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin in free agency, but Cook is the kind of upgrade they could use to help get the running game going.
