NFL Insider is Convinced Dalvin Cook and Vikings Will Stay Together

All signs this offseason have pointed to Dalvin Cook and the Minnesota Vikings splitting up this offseason. He’s due to make a lot of money and doesn’t want to take a pay cut. That creates a problem for the cap-strapped Vikings.

Dalvin Cook with Vikings next season?

To add fuel on the fire, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was non-committal when asked about Cook on Tuesday and Cook’s agent was on Instagram complaining about his usage the day before. But on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero (NFL Network) went on KFAN with Paul Allen from the scouting combine and flipped the script on the Dalvin Cook conversation.

.@TomPelissero says he believes Dalvin Cook will remain a Viking he has a 2 million dollar signing bonus that will be locked in next week.. #Skol pic.twitter.com/ziRuWzYxtW

— Dakota (@MINVikingslife) March 1, 2023

“Dalvin Cook, I’d be surprised if he’s not a Viking. He’s got $2 million that becomes fully guaranteed next week and he’s coming off shoulder surgery so that money is locked in already. I would anticipate that he’s absolutely on the team.”

Tom Pelissero (NFL Network) on KFAN Radio

Pelissero is as plugged in and reliable as any NFL insider in the business and he, very matter-of-factly, expects Dalvin back in purple next season. Why? Money. $2 million of Cook’s salary becomes fully guaranteed on March 17.

They can’t cut him before then because he just had shoulder surgery a couple of weeks ago and injured players cannot be released, according to the NFL collective bargaining agreement. There are some “injury settlement” options and different ways teams get around that rule but Pelissero doesn’t see that happening.

Kwesi’s Cook Conundrum

This is a very interesting conundrum that Kwesi finds himself in. If forced to keep Dalvin Cook on roster, he’s running out of rocks to find salary cap space under. It will be a lot easier for the Vikings to move on from Cook next offseason.

Would the 3rd leading rusher in franchise history be interested in signing a longer-term deal if it means losing cash in 2023? Would the Vikings be interested in signing up for more years with an aging Dalvin Cook?

We’ll soon find out. One thing is for sure, it appears much more likely we’ll again see #4 in the Vikings backfield this afternoon, than it did this morning.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan