Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook has been a part of trade speculation for a good part of the offseason and it's not dying down anytime soon.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Friday that the Vikings are willing to trade Cook for the right price, which obviously leaves the door open for a trade. Fowler also mentioned the team is willing to carry Cook's $14.1 million cap hit through the summer, so there's no "deadline", so to speak, and there is no rush to get it done. 

"I was told from a source the Vikings want to do right by the player," said Fowler. "So, they're prepared, as of now, to hold on to his cap number through the offseason. But if there's a good trade offer that comes through, the Vikings will listen to that and could potentially move on it if it makes sense for the team and the player. That's an important distinction that was made to me."

Another possible reason for the Vikings' willingness to accommodate Cook's cap hit is because they will create $11 million in cap space if he's traded after June 1. That's obviously a lot more than the $7,898,727 they'll save if he's traded before that date.



The key with Cook is the fact the acquiring team will absorb an $11 million salary in 2023, and salaries of $12.5 and $14.5 million in 2024 and 2025. There are ways to mitigate that, however. The Vikings could eat some of the salary, or, the acquiring team could convert all but $1.080 million of his 2023 base salary into a signing bonus and add some void years to the deal. That would significantly lower the 2023 cap hit and give the acquiring team some breathing room when it comes to figuring out how to handle things in the future.

Either way, the door is open. So, let's take a look at the two destinations that make the most sense for the Vikings' four-time Pro Bowler.

Two teams that could trade for Dalvin Cook

Arizona Cardinals

Effective cap space: $14,572,848

The Cardinals have a lead guy in James Conner that is making starter-level money in 2023. He's also been a good player for the Cardinals, but he has yet to play a full season since joining the team in 2021. 

Gannon comes from a diverse rushing attack in Philadelphia that used multiple running backs and right now, the Cardinals don't have a viable No. 2 if Conner were to go down with an injury. 

The team has enough cap space to absorb Cook's cap hit and they have plenty of 2024 draft picks to trade thanks to their numerous draft day trades from the 2023 NFL Draft. In, all they make a lot of sense.

There's also a big connection in Arizona: New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was an assistant offensive coach in Minnesota from 2014-2019 and was around Cook from 2017-2019. That familiarity could come in handy in a potential trade where the Vikings are trying to do what's right by Cook.

New York Jets

Effective cap space: $6,669,159

The Jets are one of the teams mentioned above that would have to restructure Cook's deal in order to get him on the roster and, they'd have to do some work of their own just to acquire Cook. Teams can't trade for a player if they don't have the cap space to absorb the acquired player's salary. So, the Jets would have to clear at least $6 million in cap space to acquire Cook.

There are plenty of ways to do that. The most realistic and likely option would be releasing Corey Davis. His name has already been brought up when talking about possible cuts and there are plenty of people who still think it's a strong possibility. Davis' release would create more than $10 million in cap room, which obviously gives the Jets plenty of space to trade for Cook.

Either way, the financials can work. The Jets also have the draft picks in 2024 to make a move. They have a third-rounder and three fourth-rounders they could package and they could even work something out to where the Vikings get their second-rounder if Rodgers plays enough to turn the conditional pick into the Jets' first-rounder.

The fit works, as well. Think about it: Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Rodgers, himself, hail from a Packers organization that has two very good running backs in Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. Both players also have significant roles on the team and the Packers offense was very dangerous when both were cooking.

There are still questions about when Breece Hall will be able to return to football and then there's the time needed for him to get back to full form. Cook can help offset that and would help form one of the NFL's best 1-2 punches once Hall is good to go. He'd also further the point that the Jets are all-in when it comes to making a Super Bowl run in 2023.