Vikings RB Dalvin Cook wages holdout in pursuit of new contract, per report
The Minnesota Vikings are in the same spot as the rest of the NFL's teams in not yet knowing when they will return to the field this offseason. When they do, however, one of their star players might not be joining them.
Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook will abstain from all team-related activities until he receives a revised contract, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday. Cook is prepared to continue the holdout through training camp and beyond, according to ESPN.
Cook, 24, ran for 1,135 yards on 250 carries in a breakout 2019 campaign in which he was selected to the Pro Bowl. His 1,654 yards from scrimmage ranked seventh in the NFL.
A second-round pick out of Florida State in 2017, he is set to earn $1.33 million in base salary in 2020, the final year of his rookie contract.
Earlier in the offseason, the Vikings navigated a tight salary-cap outlook for the upcoming season by giving quarterback Kirk Cousins a two-year, $66 million extension and cutting key starters in cornerback Xavier Rhodes and defensive tackle Linval Joseph.
Leverage in negotiations has been difficult to come by for many running backs throughout the league. While the Dallas Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott netted a six-year, $90 million pact after a holdout last summer, Melvin Gordon was unable to break a stalemate with the Los Angeles Chargers and moved to the Denver Broncos this offseason on a two-year, $16 million deal.
Former highly paid running backs Todd Gurley (cut by the Los Angeles Rams) and David Johnson (traded by the Houston Texans) were each dispatched this offseason, though the Carolina Panthers' Christian McCaffrey reset the market at the position in April with a four-year, $64 million extension that could be a measuring stick for Cook.
Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.