Should the Vikings trade away Dalvin Cook?
The Minnesota Vikings dazzling running back Dalvin Cook has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons. Cook has been phenomenal for the Vikings his last five seasons as a Viking. Here is a closer look at potent the Vikings RB has been ins his career thus far:
- Three 1,100+ rushing yard seasons
- 13+ rushing touchdowns in two of the past three seasons
- 1,500+ total yards in two of the past three seasons
It’s obvious that Cook has been a rockstar and a near-mythical Vikings figure in his career leading up to this point. With that said, there have been hypothetical trade scenarios with the star RB. Dean Jones from “The Viking Age” suggested four teams that could trade for Cook in 2022. So, should the Vikings really ship out Cook? Well, here are the pros and cons of trading away a gifted talent like Cook.
Pros of trading away Cook
- Cook will count $12 million against the cap in 2022. The Vikings would save $2.69 million at least if the Viks moved on from him before June 1st. They could make sure the potential trade partner needs to take on his signing bonus, as well.
- Alexander Mattison has been a superb RB2
- Cook is 27 in August and the peak RB age is 27
- Cook is injury prone (he’s missed eight games in past three seasons)
- The Vikings could get a quality draft pick in return
Cons of trading away Cook
- They will hurt their chances of winning a Super Bowl with veterans like Kirk Cousins and Adam Thielen
- Cook could top-tier RB for 2-3 more seasons
- They will likely not open up “a lot of space” by trading away Cook
- The Vikings may not discover a stud with the potential draft pick they receive for Cook
Verdict
I really do not want to see the Vikings trade away Cook, especially because Cousins was recently extended by the Vikings. A healthy Cook (and Danielle Hunter), a talented Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, led out by Cousins can absolutely chase a Super Bowl in these next few seasons together. It wouldn’t be easy for Cousins to make the Vikings a playoff contender without his electric RB, as well. I expect the Vikings to keep the superb RB, find other ways to open up cap space and improve from their 2021 campaign.
