FSU football’s all-time leading rusher Dalvin Cook plans to hold out of training camp and wants a new deal going into the final year of his rookie contract.
Former FSU football standout running back Dalvin Cook had a monster year for the Minnesota Vikings in his third year in the NFL.
Cooked rushed for 1,135 yards with 13 rushing touchdowns coupled with 53 receptions for 519 receiving yards.
He made the Pro Bowl and helped lead Vikings to the second round of the playoffs after an upset road victory over the New Orleans Saints.
He’s ranked among the top-five fantasy running back options in the NFL heading into the 2020 season. However, Cook may not see the field unless he gets a new deal according to the tweet below:
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.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 8, 2020
“He’s out,” a source told ESPN. “Without a reasonable extension, he will not be showing up for camp or beyond.”
Twitter Reaction
Jack: can you imagine not showing up for work 50% of the time and then demanding triple the pay or you don’t come to work at all? #DalvinCook
— Fantasy Football Karma (@Fantasy_Karma) June 8, 2020
Can’t get hurt if you’re holding out #DalvinCook pic.twitter.com/HdppIzHOUn
— patrick buttman (@SethDaSportsMan) June 8, 2020
The @Vikings don’t make the playoffs with out the production from @dalvincook its time to pay up. He had over 1,000 yards 13 touchdowns and 53 catches. #dalvincook #cook #vikings #justice_for_daughter #NFL #nfl2020 #Minneapolisprotests #MinneapolisRiot #cook #runningbacks pic.twitter.com/7YC0gQlz2J
— Jansen Harris (@mediajansen) June 8, 2020
Dalvin Cook is an awesome player, but he plays the least valuable position in the NFL, he hasn't played a 16 game season yet and he has zero leverage to hold out.
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) June 9, 2020
Thoughts on the news
It’s a tough situation for both sides. When healthy, Dalvin Cook is a top five running back in the NFL who can do damage in the run and passing game.
The only problem is he wasn’t able to stay healthy during his first two seasons with the Vikings. He appeared in just four games his rookie season and 11 games in his second year.
Cook played and started in 14 games last season, so he’s yet to play in every game for the Vikings in a season.
I can understand why they’d be hesitant to give him a huge contract extension. However, Cook seems to be asking for a “reasonable extension” and of course that’s subjective since we don’t know exactly what he’s asking for money-wise.
Cook can point to last season and his durability while at FSU football as evidence that’s he’s worth the risk in terms of giving him a new extension.
However, as others have pointed out, there’s also a lot of young running backs that could be available after next year too.