Vikings Could Get Screwed in Dalvin Cook Contract Talks Following Monster Christian McCaffrey Extension
The Minnesota Vikings can avoid any potential drama by signing running back Dalvin Cook to an extension as soon as possible. He will be entering his fourth NFL season in 2020 and the two sides have been rumored to be talking about getting that new deal signed. The potential for a holdout continues to rise with each passing day as Cook is in the final year of his rookie deal.
Then the news dropped Monday that the Carolina Panthers signed Christian McCaffrey to a record-breaking four-year extension worth $16 million annually. He has been far more productive than Cook in his three seasons, but this new record deal only ups the asking price for the Vikings back.
The question with Christian McCaffrey's deal, as it relates to Dalvin Cook negotiations, is how much McCaffrey's production as a receiver makes him a unique case in the RB market. He set the bar high; other RBs in the 2017 draft class will undoubtedly try to use it as a benchmark
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) April 13, 2020
Cook's career got off to a slow start after a torn ACL limited him to four games in his rookie season. He then appeared in only 11 games in 2018 before setting new career-highs of 14 games and 1,135 rushing yards last season. He also added 519 receiving yards.
McCaffrey eclipsed 1,000 yards in both rushing and receiving last season, but he is listed as a running back and that means the market will only increase. Cook isn't as talented, but he'll want McCaffrey money.
First in the star-studded RB class of 2017 to get paid, and you can bet that Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, and Joe Mixon are paying attention.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 13, 2020
One key here, in the process of doing a long-term deal, is that Carolina sees McCaffrey as more just than a tailback. https://t.co/b4hKrluso7
Cook is only trending upward after he finished 2019 with 1,654 yards from scrimmage. The timing for him is perfect. Cook is set to earn only $1.3 million in 2020 and can now command a deal worth up to $15-16 million (or close to it) annually thanks to McCaffrey.
Such a contract may be impossible for the Vikings to hand out considering Kirk Cousins' deal jumps from $9 million in 2020 to $21 million in 2021 and a whopping $35 million in 2022, assuming it isn't restructured. The cap hits are enormous as well.
The Vikings waiting for the market to develop may have doomed them.