In a vacuum, that’s a completely normal offseason occurrence — but the context is strange.
Apparently Dalvin Cook Has Been Playing with a Broken Shoulder for 4 Years?
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Tuesday, “Vikings’ Pro-Bowl RB Dalvin Cook, who is second in the NFL in total yards since 2019, underwent surgery today to fix the broken shoulder he suffered in that same year, 2019.”
Dec 11, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) congratulates running back Dalvin Cook (4) after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports.
Schefter concluded the tweet by quoting Cook’s agent as saying, “Dalvin has been absolutely dominant and we cannot wait until September.”
Cook ranked sixth in the NFL per rushing yards in 2022 with 1,173, adding 10 total touchdowns en route to the Vikings first division title since 2017. Cook and the Vikings teased the playmaker as a receiving threat in 2022 with the hire of Kevin O’Connell one year ago, but Cook remained very much a run-first halfback. He tabulated 39 receptions — down from 53 in the year mentioned by Schefter in the tweet, 2019.
Nov 3, 2019; Kansas City, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) runs against Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Anthony Hitchens (53) and strong safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports.
But the real headline from the tweet is time. Schefter stated Cook broke his shoulder in 2019, which was four years ago. Stefon Diggs, Linval Joseph, and Xavier Rhodes were still on the team. In fact, that was the last time Minnesota won a playoff game.
Cook has worn shoulder support since the injury, yet it seems odd that the surgery will occur in the 2023 offseason and not, you know, the 2020, 2021, or 2022 offseason(s). Regardless of the surgery timing, Cook has maintained the status of the NFL’s elite running backs since the injury, as mentioned in the Schefter tweet about total yards.
Dec 9, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) looks on and smiles during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports.
Surgery or not, this offseason will be ultra-fascinating for Cook and the Vikings. He turns 28 this summer and is scheduled to incur a $14 million cap hit against the Vikings books in 2023. It is unclear if Minnesota’s analytics-focused front office will endorse paying an age-28 running back that sum of cash. We shall see.
Darren Wolfson said on SKOR North last week about the offseason suspense regarding Cook, “I had a conversation this morning that leads me to believe that Dalvin is not inclined to take a pay cut.”
And that would spur a contractual restructure where the Vikings push money from Cook’s contract into the future, trade the Florida State alumnus, or release him. Those are the options.
The Vikings ran the ball the third least in the NFL last season in O’Connell’s first year as head coach. When they did run the football, Minnesota ranked 26th leaguewide via yards per rush.