Why a Vikings Pro-Bowler became an NFL legend forever this week
We tend to throw the word "legend" around a bit too freely these days, but I think the term applies to a Minnesota Vikings Pro-Bowler after the news we learned on Tuesday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Vikings running back Dalvin Cook had surgery on Tuesday on his broken shoulder….that he suffered in […]
We tend to throw the word "legend" around a bit too freely these days, but I think the term applies to a Minnesota Vikings Pro-Bowler after the news we learned on Tuesday.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Vikings running back Dalvin Cook had surgery on Tuesday on his broken shoulder….that he suffered in 2019.
Cook has been playing for the last four seasons with a broken shoulder and he's made four straight Pro Bowls during that time.
That's absolutely ridiculous.
I mean, this guy rushed for almost 1,200 yards last season with a broken shoulder. He hasn't rushed for less than 1,100 yards since suffering the injury in 2019 (in 2021, Cook rushed for 1,159 yards in just 13 games).
Cook has also caught at least 34 passes in each season since 2019.
There are questions about whether or not Cook will be back in Minnesota next season. The Vikings could extend superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson this offseason. And that won't be cheap.
Cook, by the way, doesn't seem interested in sharing his thoughts on a potential contract restructure to help Minnesota with cap space.
At nearly 28 years old, it's possible that Cook could be a cap casualty. If the Vikings release Cook, they'd face a $6.2 million dead cap hit and they'd save $7.8 million in cap space.
That could be an attractive option — aging running backs are usually the first to go when a team needs to save cap space. But considering Cook's toughness and what he's played through over the last four seasons, I think he's a guy the Vikings need to keep in the locker room. Finding players as tough as Cook — even at the running back position — isn't an easy task.
Featured image via Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
