Vikings and Dalvin Cook break off contract discussion talks

Right before the start of camp, we got some on-again, off-again drama between the Minnesota Vikings and running back Dalvin Cook regarding whether or not the latter would be reporting to camp on time. Earlier in the offseason, Cook had said that he would not participate in any team activities without a “reasonable” contract extension, but when things got started, he was there with everyone else.

Many thought that course of events meant that a deal between Cook and the Vikings to extend his contract was imminent. Apparently. . .not so much.

Numerous sources are reporting that the two sides have put their contract discussions on hold. Cook is in the final year of the rookie contract that he signed when the Vikings selected him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Cook is coming off of his best season for the Vikings, mostly because he was relatively healthy for most of it. After playing in just 15 games over his first two seasons, he played in 14 games in 2019. He dropped off quite a bit in the second half of the season, but still ran for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns. He threw in 53 receptions for 519 yards for good measure.

Whether or not the Vikings will continue to work to extend Cook’s deal will be an intriguing development going forward. Yes, Cook is one of the best backs in the NFL (as long as he can stay healthy), but giving running backs exorbitant contracts in today’s NFL seems to come back to bite the team in the hindquarters more frequently than not.

Which direction will the Vikings go with Cook? We’re going to have to stay tuned to find out.