Dalvin Cook wants to be paid as one of the best running backs in the game, fair compensation for a player that finished seventh in yards from scrimmage last season, but the Minnesota Vikings haven't made it happen -- at least not yet. Cook, heading into the final year of his rookie deal, reportedly was set to hold out in hopes of landing that coveted long-term contract that seems to elude running backs. However, there may be a wrench in Cook's plans. As ESPN's Courtney Cronin pointed out, the new collective bargaining agreement states a player that holds out won't have his fines disappear if he and the team works out a new contract that ends the holdout (unlike in years past when the fines would be negated).
Cook will be fined $50,000 per day for every missed camp practice as a result of his holdout, which could lead to a potential $500,000 in fines if he misses 10 camp practices searching for a new deal.
Cook has a camp number of just $2,021,508 this year and a base salary of $1,331,361 (per Over the Cap). If he would miss 10 camp practices (again this is just a projection), Cook would forfeit 37.6% of his base salary just trying to work out a contract.
Cook has every right to negotiate this way, but it's in his best interest the hold out won't last long. Maybe he'll even report to camp after a week to minimize the damages.
Minnesota is expected to rely as a run-first group, with Cook and Alexander Mattison at the forefront of the charge after trading away Stefon Diggs. They will rely on Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson to carry the passing game -- but this is a run-first team and it runs through Cook. Based on that, you would expect the Vikings to cave at some point, but it's far from a guarantee.
Cook played 14 games for the Vikings last season, finishing with 250 carries for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He also had 53 catches for 519 yards, also a career-high. Cook had five 100-yard games and was durable for the Vikings, finishing with 20-plus carries eight times this season (including Minnesota's postseason victory over the New Orleans Saints). Cook finished seventh in the NFL in rushing yards per game and fourth in rushing touchdowns.
A 2017 second-round pick of the Vikings, Cook played just four games his rookie year and rushed for 354 yards and two touchdowns before being lost for the season with a torn ACL. He returned in time for the start of the 2018 season, but he missed five games with a hamstring strain. Cook finished with 133 carries for 615 yards and two touchdowns while catching 40 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Cook has 2,104 yards and 17 touchdowns in three seasons, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
It's not a matter if Cook signs with the Vikings, but when.
"I definitely love Minnesota," Cook said back in June. "I love everything the state has to bring. Being a kid, (when) I was drafted, so I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I actually am happy where I'm at, and I would like to be in Minnesota long term."
