Dolphins' division rival Jets reaches deal with RB Dalvin Cook
The AFC East just got a little bit tougher for three teams. The New York Jets and free agent RB Dalvin Cook came to an agreement on Monday on a one-year contract worth up to $8.6 million, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal comes hours after the report of the New England Patriots and RB […]
The AFC East just got a little bit tougher for three teams.
The New York Jets and free agent RB Dalvin Cook came to an agreement on Monday on a one-year contract worth up to $8.6 million, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The deal comes hours after the report of the New England Patriots and RB Ezekiel Elliott agreeing on a one-year, $6 million contract.
Both deals improve the running back rooms for two of Miami's chief rivals. However, the Patriots roster isn't really built to make a run at the division, much less the Super Bowl.
The Jets are quite the opposite. With Aaron Rodgers, Garrett Wilson, a vicious defense, and now a premier running back in Cook, the Jets are poised to improve on their last place finish in 2022.
What does that mean for Miami? It obviously means they're going to have to try to tackle Cook for two matchups this fall instead of handing the ball off to him. But it also means a team that likely closed the gap on Miami in the offseason with the addition of Aaron Rodgers – amid other acquisitions – just closed it a little bit more with this signing.
The Dolphins had the cap space to match this offer. They currently sit 13th in the league in cap space at $13.2 million under the cap, per OverTheCap.com. The Jets were at $16.3 million. As such, it wasn't about constraints on the ability to pay him what he wanted. It was almost certainly about, simply, was either side willing to reach what he'd accept – and the Jets were.
The Dolphins have effectively bet on Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson, Jr. as their primary ball carriers in a year where they're looking to take a step forward from just a fringe playoff team to a true Super Bowl contender. It's not an unreasonable position, given the 4.9 yards per carry average that Mostert had in 2022 and that he's now another year removed from his season-ending 2021 knee injury.
Now, they're going to hope that bet pays off on Sundays. Otherwise, they'll have some serious questions to answer if a team wearing green in the division makes a run in January.
Jets make offseason splash by signing All-Pro RB Dalvin Cook
It was a big day for the AFC East.
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
