Minnesota Vikings' running back Dalvin Cook is theoretically entering a contract year. Apparently, he doesn't plan to put his body on the line if he hasn't been assured that 2020 won't, in fact, be a contract year for him.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Cook plans to stay away from any further team activities - including training camp - if he doesn't receive a new contract. The source told Schefter that "without a reasonable extension, he will not be showing up for camp or beyond."
Cook, 24, ran for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019, his third season in the NFL. From that sense, he has outperformed the $1.33 million that he's due to make in the final year of his rookie contract. Frankly, in all senses, Cook has outperformed his contract, as he's averaged 4.6 yards-per-carry over his first three seasons.
However, over that period the Vikings have had 48 regular season games and Cook has played in just 29 of them. After the Vikings selected him out of Florida State in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Cook tore his ACL in Week 4 of the 2017 season. In 2018, he was limited to just 11 games. And for as impressive as he was a season ago, the Vikings were still without Cook for two games as he dealt with a shoulder injury. Cook's injury history almost certainly is a motivating factor for him to get paid while he can. However, it may also cause the Vikings to be hesitant to commit to him over the long run.
It is true that both Ezekiel Elliott and Christian McCaffrey signed big deals after their third seasons, but neither had the injury history that Cook does.
Additionally, not all teams seem as keen on committing big money to a running back over the long run as the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers. The Tennessee Titans rode Derrick Henry to a surprise appearance in the AFC Championship Game a season ago, but despite a historically dominant playoff run, the team elected to place the franchise tag on Henry this offseason, rather than signing him to a lucrative long-term deal. It's possible that the Vikings would prefer to go year to year with Cook.
That said, Elliott held out through the entire preseason last year and only returned to the team once he got his six-year/$90 million extension with over $50 million in guarantees. Le'Veon Bell held out the entire 2018 season after the Pittsburgh Steelers placed the franchise tag on him for the second year in a row. There's recent precedent for the idea that Cook may be willing to sit out if he doesn't receive a long-term deal.
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