Vikings Should Sign Dalvin Cook to Contract Extension Since Nothing Else is Working Out for Them

Within the blink of an eye, the Minnesota Vikings went from having one of the NFL's most complete rosters to looking like a middle-of-the-pack team. Free agency can be unforgiving, but man, did it really take a toll on the Vikings this offseason.

After Minnesota shipped wideout Stefon Diggs to Buffalo for a set of draft picks, the Vikings failed to retain more than half of their experienced defensive core in free agency (and have't replaced Xavier Rhodes' subpar production), and don't look nearly as competitive in the NFC North as they once did. Nothing has gone Minnesota's way this offseason. but there's one thing they can do to try to offset it all: keep Dalvin Cook in the fold long-term.

Running back Dalvin Cook has always been promising, but last year was by far his breakout campaign. The 24-year old had career highs in touches, targets, yardage and touchdowns in 2019, as the Vikings offense practically ran through Cook when it hummed its best.

As a third-year running back, Cook touched the ball on almost 40% of Minnesota's offensive plays last season, but was making less than $2 million annually. Cook's entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, and nobody will be surprised if he enters long-term extension talks with the Vikings this offseason.

Minnesota has plenty of cap space to extend Cook, and there honestly couldn't be a better time to do it. The future outlook of Vikings football is as bleak as it's been in several years, but pulling the trigger on Cook could change that in a heartbeat.