Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook will refrain from team-related activities until he receives a reasonable deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
When that news was announced, it caused countless fans and analysts to ask the question: What is Cook’s value?
The running back is clearly good when he’s healthy, and by extension so is the Vikings offense.
However, a Vikings reporter, Arif Hasan of The Athletic, thinks that a fair deal for Cook would be $6 million a year. He noted that he would consider $8 million a year to be what an elite running back makes.
Here’s what he said about the situation:
“I know that generally seems wildly out of line with what happens to running back value in the open market, but consider every running back who signed a deal with an average value worth more than four percent of that year’s cap (about $7.9 million in 2020) going back to 2016:
There has been one first-team All-Pro and three Pro Bowl appearances from the 17 years of running back play generated by those contracts, where they’ve averaged 55.8 rushing yards per game and 76.3 yards from scrimmage per game, earning 3.88 yards per carry.”
That’s definitely a compelling argument, and injury history will make some nervous about giving Cook a new deal, but I think the Vikings should still do it.
Minnesota has a window to compete right now, and a new deal for Cook probably wouldn’t have to break the bank. I think if Cook isn’t on the field for the team in 2020, the offense takes a step back.