For all of the readers out there with kids just starting to play football, here is a bit of free advice. Tell them NOT to play running back if they have professional aspirations. The NFL doesn’t like running backs anymore.

Once considered one of the most important positions in football and the focal point of offenses, the days of the super star running back are almost all but gone the way of the dinosaur. Running backs are drafted on team friendly rookie salaries, overused and over-worked and then put out to pasture before they can cash in on their second contract.

Some manage to play well enough to earn that second contract but even fewer live up to the expectations that contract promises. It’s unfair for running backs to be a part of a system that so easily squeezes them for all they are worth while simultaneously preventing them from being paid how they are used. It’s not fair. But it is business.

In the case of Dalvin Cook, there is no questioning his ability. He is a legit three down do-it-all back. His presence on any team would be an upgrade to their running back room.

Here’s the problem. So would a lot of guys.

Cook is a victim of his ability and the era in which he plays. The Minnesota Vikings leaned hard on Dalvin Cook for years. Cook was obviously the focal point of their offense averaging almost 270 carries a year in the last four season.

The Vikings know how good he is and still he was publicly made available via trade this offseason, and nobody bit on a deal. Now he has been cut by Minnesota and still nobody seems to be giving him the contract he wants.

The Vikings are simply doing what every other team is doing or should be doing. They are going cheaper at a position that is not considered premium so they can pay the players who are at premium positions. Who would you rather sign long term, Dalvin Cook or Justin Jefferson? If you answered Cook, chances are you have an answer to the question “where were you when Kennedy was shot”.

The Jets will likely end up using Breece Hall in the same way the Vikings used Cook. Think about this Jets fans, we are a few short years away from the Jets having to pay Sauce Gardner, Jermaine Johnson, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. Guess who will likely be the odd man out in that group?

Even the division-rival Miami Dolphins don’t want to pay top price for a running back, and they don’t even have a Breece Hall type to lean on. Cameron Wolfe, who covers the NFL at NFL Network spoke about Cook hasn’t signed with the Dolphins.

“The Dolphins do have interest. They’ve had conversations with Dalvin Cook. There have been offers made from multiple teams, I’m told, including the Dolphins. But right now, they’re in a holding pattern. … He and his team are comfortable if it goes into camp or if it goes into the season. He believes he’s one of the best backs in the league, and he wants to be paid as such” – NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe on Good Morning Football

Dalvin Cook is a man who wants to be paid what he is worth based on what he has shown. That’s understandable. But that isn’t the way this NFL operates. Cook will likely have to significantly lower his asking price in order to get signed at all, let alone by a contender.

There is only so much wear and tear the legs of a running back can take. The Jets should not pay Dalvin Cook for the benefits the Vikings already received.

Featured Image via Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports