The Minnesota Vikings are going to be busy the next few days looking to get under the salary cap. Restructuring contracts or releasing high-priced veterans is usually the easiest way to go about accomplishing that. The front office has their work cut out for them as Minnesota is more than $15 million over the salary cap.
Rumors have swirled about veterans that they could move on from as a result. Wide receiver Adam Thielen has been mentioned as a possible cut candidate. His cap hit for 2023 is nearly $20 million, which is hefty for a player that doesn’t have a 1,000-yard season since 2018.
There is a chance he isn’t the only key cog on the offense that is moved on from. Running back Dalvin Cook has been approached about taking a pay cut but he is reportedly uninterested in doing that.
A trade centered around him could be on the horizon. According to JPA Football on Twitter, per Darren Wolfson on SKOR North, at least one team has made a trade offer to the Vikings for Cook.
The team who made the offer hasn’t been shared, but it is certainly surprising that a team would be willing to trade assets in exchange for Cook. He made the Pro Bowl for the fourth straight season, but he put together the least efficient campaign of his career, averaging only 4.4 yards per carry and 69 rushing yards per game.
With how deep the free agent class is at running back this offseason, it is surprising that a team wouldn’t try signing a player there first before making a trade for Cook. Going on 28 years old and with his base salary increasing in 2023, 2024 and 2025, Cook makes for a peculiar trade target.
If the Vikings do ultimately end up trading Cook, it likely won’t be any time soon. Teams that miss out on their targets in free agency could always circle back to him later on right ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.
A ready-made contender that is a running back away from rounding out their offense would be the best fit for Cook. A team such as the Philadelphia Eagles, who have Miles Sanders and Boston Scott hitting free agency, could make sense. The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins are also on the search for lead-backs and could prefer trading for someone such as Cook instead of battling it out in free agency for available players.
