The Jets brought in their guy, showed him around and the watched him leave without a deal in place. He may never return.

Dalvin Cook has a decision to make, and the Jets might have made it too easy for him to say “no, thank you” to them by letting him leave the facility without putting pen to paper.

I don’t think that it is necessarily a bad thing if he winds up leaving the Jets for the Dolphins.

Cook went on a media blitz when he showed up in New York, publicly saying he would love to sign with the Jets and play with Aaron Rodgers. This feels like someone trying to make their crush jealous.

Cook seemed to be talking about the Jets so the Dolphins would be forced to up their offer and ultimately land the four-time Pro Bowler in Miami. Cook is from the Miami area and early in his free agency did not make it a secret that he would love to play for the Dolphins.

While everyone from Cook’s agent to Aaron Rodgers believes that Cook will sign with the Jets, the fact that he left without a deal being signed is telling. That isn’t to say that Cook won’t ultimately wind up in New York, it just means that he is still keeping his options open until he has to decide.

At this point I would wonder if Cook was able to prove to Joe Douglas that this is where he wants to be and wasn’t simply playing the game to wind up in Miami. It wouldn’t be the first time a player used the Jets to get more money from the Dolphins. Remember when the Jets were so close to landing Tyreek Hill? It was never going to happen according to Hill.

ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky doesn’t think it is even in question where Cook should wind up.

“100% he should sign with the Jets. From his perspective, it's the best team that he could go join that the three are reported to be the Jets the Patriots and the Dolphins. Number one they're a true contender, a real contender. Number two, he could step in he knows the scheme and three immediate impact. This is a no brainer. The question I have with the addition of Dalvin Cook to the Jets is it's not a need. It's a luxury. What does it do for Breece Hall? Does this allow the Jets to ease Breece Hall back into the conversation? Dalvin Cook we know can play at an incredibly high level and this would be a team that sits there and goes ‘we want to play 20 plus games this year’. And so, it makes sense to have depth. If you're the Jets, you should want Dalvin Cook and if you're Dalvin Cook you should be running to the Jets.” – Dan Orlovsky on ESPN

Former NFL defensive lineman and sports radio Hall of Famer Mike Golic had this to say on “Gojo” on the possibility of Cook going to New York, “This would be monstrous for the Jets. This

was just the rookie year of Breece Hall. Last year all of a sudden having the knee (injury) so having Dalvin Cook there to kind of bridge that and take a bit of a load off a Breece Hall would be monstrous.”

Dan and Mike are exactly right on this front, Cook is not a need for the Jets. While having a back like Dalvin to go along with Breece is nothing to shy away from, it is not where I think the Jets should spend their newfound wealth given to them by Aaron Rodgers.

The Jets do need a three-down runner in the running back room as insurance for Breece Hall. While it was really exciting watching Hall last year, let’s face it, it was four good games before he had a major injury which by most medical projections, he should not be 100% back from yet.

I don’t know that the player they bring needs to be as high-profile and expensive as Dalvin Cook. You never know who becomes available and what position you might need. This should really be an insurance signing more than a competition signing.

Top NFL free agent Dalvin Cook reportedly visiting with the Jets

The New York Jets have jumped ahead in the race one day following Aaron Rodgers’ pay cut ahead of the 2023 NFL season.

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