Vikings: Dalvin Cook fails to learn from past, will hold out

Dalvin Cook has his sights set on a new deal from the Vikings

Despite seeing the failure of the hold outs of running backs Melvin Gordon and Le’Veon Bell, current ball carrier of the Minnesota Vikings Dalvin Cook has his sights set on a new contract. He has no intentions of heading to training camp without a new deal, but he may not have the leverage he thinks.

The holdout strategy worked for Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott, but the running back position as a whole is declining in value. The Panthers gave Christian McCaffrey a new deal this summer, but he is also coming off of a season with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards.

In fact, last year’s leading rusher in Derrick Henry did not even receive a new deal from the Tennessee Titans, but rather saw himself get the franchise tag. The Indianapolis Colts have already stated Marlon Mack will not get a new contract, and even drafted a new running back in the second round in Jonathan Taylor.

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In the past, Todd Gurley, David Johnson, and Devonta Freeman have failed to make it through their new deals. Given Cook’s injury history, he is more likely to fall in the category of this trio rather than the duo of Elliott and McCaffrey.

Throughout the first three years of his career, Cook has failed to play a full 16 game season for the Vikings. While he is extremely productive when he is on the field, the durability has not been present for Cook, and certainly not enough for any NFL team to match his asking price.

What is his asking price, you may ask? It has been rumored that Cook wants his new deal to match that of David Johnson’s $13 million base deal that he received from the Arizona Cardinals.

Gordon held out, and his attempts fell flat on his face as he signed just a two-year deal worth $16 million with the Denver Broncos. Bell sat out an entire season without a new contract after being franchise tagged twice by the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he signed a new deal with the New York Jets last season, it is unlikely he will make it through more than two seasons on that deal.

The model to follow would seem to be that of Austin Ekeler, who signed a relatively friendly deal after having the ability to read the room in regards to the position he plays and how much that position is worth. He signed a new four-year deal with the Chargers, worth just over $6 million per year.

At the end of the day, Dalvin Cook has no leverage to hold out. Like Gordon and Bell before him, Cook is set to fall flat on his face in an attempt at a new contract from the Vikings, all while missing a full summer’s worth of work.