Vikings Learn That Working RB Dalvin Cook Like a Stolen Mule Will Hurt Come Contract Negotiation Time
Anyone that followed the Vikings last season saw how much the team’s offense used RB Dalvin Cook as a crutch. He is the type of RB to put fear into the hearts of NFC fans much like Adrian Peterson did. Now he is looking for that paycheck to match his efforts.
Pro-Bowl RB Dalvin Cook no longer will participate in any team-related activities until and unless he receives a “reasonable” deal, a source said Monday.
“He’s out,” a source told ESPN. “Without a reasonable extension, he will not be showing up for camp or beyond.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 8, 2020
Of the 14 games Cook played last season, he claimed 1,135 rushing yards on 250 carries with 13 touchdown. His receiving yardage was 519 with 53 catches. Statistically, that was his best season yet. To say he has leverage going into negotiations is an understatement. Not to mention, he sees how much they’re paying that hack QB of theirs, Kirk Cousins.
Claiming to be a QB-first team, the Vikings called rushing plays 47.4% of the time last season – the second highest in the NFL. Cook claimed a total of 38.1% of total touches from the scrimmage in 2019 — 9th in the league.
Cook’s Productivity Does Not Match His Paycheck
Dalvin Cook
6th highest-graded RB in 2019
42nd highest-paid RB in 2020 per OverTheCap pic.twitter.com/0y8xdqEHYj— PFF (@PFF) June 8, 2020
The love of the game can only do so much to motivate a man when you are sacrificing your body and future health in the process. Not to mention, the overall morale of the Vikings roster does not seem all that great to begin with.
Cook is currently in a three-way tie with RBs Terry Allen and Chuck Foreman for second most rushing TDs in a season with 13 each(Foreman reached this total during two seasons).
According to Sportrac, Cook is worth at least $61 million over the next 5 years.
Perhaps we are in a new era in the NFL with teams like the 49ers scraping together a respectable rushing performance with a group of nobodies and great coaching. I just do not see the Vikings achieving the great coaching part anytime soon.
Meanwhile, Cook seems more than willing to sit out his final year with the Vikings under his rookie contract.
Nov 25, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) runs in the second quarter against Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
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With a nod to Montgomery Burns, “Excellent.”
We’re kind of in the same boat with Jones, sans the holdout.
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I personally don’t see much chance of the Packers resigning Jones, with the contracts of Bahktiari, Linsley, King, and Perry up next year. But more so because of the drafting of AJ Dillion.
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Linsley may very well be gone too, we’ll see.
Do we have a Perry??
Absolutely not.
Well, they have based their attack on that guy. Much to the criticism of our current and past HCs, they did not feature Jones enough. This means his “health bar” has not been lost big chunks. If the Packers continue with that regime for Jones, he will still have enough health to be productive in the league for some other team. Having Dillon in the mix suggests we won’t overuse Jones.
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Also, very fitting for today’s Minneapolis, JP changed the idiom from “… like a rented mule” to “… like a stolen mule”. We see what you did there.
*has not been losing / has not lost, changed my mind while writing, but did not clean up.
Of course, not behind the best offensive line either. The offensive line is the most important thing to have fixed. If the Vikings don’t sign him, and he is angry, it’s best to just let him go. He may wish to go play for a team that can win it’s battles up front. His leaving, would save money to rebuild the offensive line, and this would make the passing and running game more effective.
The Vikings likely lose him next year anyway, so build the offensive line up in a fashion that let’s Cousins move the ball down the field. Why blame Cousins, when he is as good a quarterback, as there is in the entire league. Cousins certainly is at the top of his game, when he has the protection. He ranks within the top 5 NFL starters in the game today. So place the blame where it’s due. Every year now, the same players are rotated to different spots on the line, and in the end, it’s the same old sick results. Few or no quarterbacks in the league, would be able to replace Cousins.
All NFL quarterbacks are dependant on the men up front, because that’s where the god damn game begins.
I would say that you are closely related to another Vikings fan who used to post here a lot. But his writing was more eloquent. Unless that is part of the disguise. Your kneeling down in front of Cousins is why I suspect you may be related. Words used in a sentence together like Cousins, great, top 5, entire league, make me laugh, and make your post an idiotic read.
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So glad you find it entertaining, but if that weren’t the case, you could research the 2019 season stats, and find that Cousins rates as highly as stated. It now looks like Cooks at least, can show some disgust in the offensive line, as he would like to be paid now, for the severe beatings he has been taking. He carried a load last year, as Theilen paced the sidelines eating hotdogs and bragging that he was going to wait till he felt fully healed. I don’t imagine that had made the season much easier for Cousins, Cooks, or Diggs either, but so it goes. The fact of the matter is Cousins is here to stay for a while, so more bad mouth like he got from Diggs won’t change the season much for the Vikings. Cooks plans on doing the sitting this year, that might give a lot more people something to gripe about.
Thanks for the Vikings lesson. We used to ask your brother why he came to this site to talk about the Vikings? So I will ask you the same thing….Why do you come to this site if you are a Vikings fan?
I won’t be researching any 2019 stats. except the one that shows Minnesota was NOT in the Super Bowl….again.
His brother?
Don’t underestimate of the enablers allowing multiple names from the same IP.
I don’t really care, i’m just sayin.
I believe the new CBA was going to essentially end this hold out option for players? I believe it has a provision that says if a player under contract does not report to camp, or leaves the team unexcused for five days or more, the player is not eligible to accrue that year of service. If he holds out, he won’t become a free agent the following year. Under the previous CBA, the player could hold out well into the season (maybe even a little more than half way through the year?), then report, and still get credit for the year toward free agency. That is a big change in leverage.
I believe the team can probably still revise / rewrite his contract if he holds out, and they might just based on how good he is, but they are not at risk of losing him after the season because he won’t accrue the year of service.
You, Ferris and myself posted at almost the same time :)
Cook Isn’t sitting out, players rarely sit out a season. Especially with the new CBA concerning accrued seasons and training camp.
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Here’s what i don’t get. Cook is the straw that stirs the drink, drives the offense but makes next to nothing. Cousins gets a contract extension that will pay him 40 million this season. His average is 33 million/year.
Cousins is nothing more than a game manager. A 40 million dollar QB’s job is to hand the ball to the million dollar guy to do all the work. Go figure right.
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You can find a game manager for 15 million. Then you can use the extra money to bolster the O line and keep Cook.
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On the other hand it’s the queens, i mean, other than being a losing team in the NFL, a “filler” team, i don’t think anyone cares much. Who knows, maybe they’ll win their version of a Super Bowl….Maybe win a Banner.
I’ve noticed lately that I’m caring less and less about sports. I have a feeling that the covid 19 pandemic will further dilute or even cause massive disruption of an already going downhill NFL product. As we all know (according to the media)..protests are the only place you cannot catch this disease so unfortunately the packers will be affected.
Its nice to see the American public wake up from their fog and realize pro sports is not life…it’s just entertainment.
It will be interesting to see where this all goes. But I’m already anticipating a reduced pre season.
Good post Stig
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I’m diehard NFL, less so with the NBA and MLB. Unless i’m waiting for the Bucks to win a Championship (hopefully).
What i learned is that i can deal without NBA and MLB games. Although i miss attending Brewer games. It’s the only way i can watch the whole game…is in person.
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What i can’t deal with is the owners and players getting hung up (greedy) concerning money, when that happens, they can shut it down for all i care.
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Hopefully the NFL season goes on with no problems…BUT….this year us fans will once again deal with the kneeling issue. On it’s face it’s not that big of an issue, but people are passionate about it on both sides….So the media will go into a frenzy like it’s feeding time at the zoo. Therefore taking the focus off the game and putting it right in the middle of social and political issues.
Social and political issues…..that have NOTHING to do with the game of football.
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I don’t want that bullshit taking over NFL game’s and taking focus away from the game, i don’t watch football to discuss, world hunger, terrorism, theology, social or politic issues. There are plenty of other TV programming to cover all that stuff.
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That’s how i feel….and if i’m right and that’s what we have to live through again, I’ll be speaking my mind, so stock up on tissues people.
The games are absolutely going to become a political rally as will the coverage.
I could care less if people kneel during the anthem…however…what annoys me is them showing/analyzing it.
Pc/left wing politics/social justice whatever you want to call it ruins all manner of entertainment.
There is a reason game of thrones was so successful. The same for basically every form of entertainment sans Netflix which is essentially becoming a left wing brainwashing academy.
Yea….Some players kneel for one minute a week, and they think they are heroes.
Get together and kneel before or sometime after the Anthem, middle of the field, wherever…..IF….. the flag doesn’t matter.
Here’s something we all knew the past few years, but it’s good to see Jordy is doing well post NFL.
https://www.kenoshanews.com/sports/football/professional/comfortable-in-retirement-jordy-nelson-also-looks-at-packers-and-believes-i-definitely-think-i/article_04678e2f-62c4-5580-8995-0e08d438ca4a.html?fbclid=IwAR2FYo62H6Gvjf9uRUAemrYzCdKYd3dy6vIdmm_SbqBeRh7VI_6EVDKjre4
I read that somewhere yesterday. Makes me want to cry because i know that whole thing hurt him emotionally.
I said what i said about it at the time it happened, so there is no looking at it in hindsight with me. I said it was a dumb, slap in the face, disrespectful move back when it happened, and that’s exactly how it turned out.
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Anyone who thinks Rodgers and Nelson wouldn’t have at least 10 TD’s a season doesn’t know what their watching. Nelson had 6 TD’s with the Raiders in 2018. Graham had 5 TD’s with the Packers in 2018 and 2019.
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So even after it’s said and done. Even after Gute CLEARLY blew the free agent signing of Graham. Gute has the gall to say he didn’t regret it. Fuck him, he clearly won’t even admit Graham was a mistake. We are entering the 2020 season and Gute is still looking to replace Nelsons production. Ladies and Gentleman…..i bring you Devon Funchess and still no tight end to speak of.
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The only thing i wonder about these days….is how Rodgers and his agent orchestrate their exit plan. That’s assuming he has (wants) an exit plan. He may just give up and play it out like the Packers did, idk. I’d like to see Rodgers play another season, let the new kid learn. Then Rodgers goes his way while he still has a few years left, and Gute can get Love and his new team on the field and show us how it’s done. I have no interest in Rodgers being here any more than one more season when the team has no interest in helping him. I just think if Rodgers stays for 2 or 3 more years it helps nobody, maybe Love, we’ll see.
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It’s a sad, sad time to be a longtime Packer fan, the waiting not only continues, it got….extended.
If the packets let the 49ers get Jamal Adams fire the GM! Period!!!!