Two weeks after hosting the free agent, the Jets made a key addition to their running back room.
Former Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is signing a one-year deal with the Jets, according to a source. ESPN reports that Cook is planning to sign a deal worth up to $8.6 million this season.
On July 30, the Jets hosted Cook on a visit to the team’s facility. Fans in attendance during training camp that day chanted out his name before the start of practice. During the visit, Cook met with Jets coach Robert Saleh and players on the team. He also watched how he could be a potential fit in the team’s offense.
Cook left Florham Park without coming to terms on a deal, but he told Good Morning Football days earlier that he believed chances were “pretty high” he would sign with the Jets.
“I think we’re in a position, you know, a team that’s building something special and I want to be part of something special as a player,” Cook said about the Jets.
“I think the possibility is high right now of getting things done.”
Cook is a week away from being able to practice with the Jets after he underwent offseason shoulder surgery in February, according to a source. ESPN is also reporting that Cook is scheduled to be a first-time father at any moment.
The Vikings released Cook on June 9 after six seasons with the team. Minnesota didn’t release Cook because he was unproductive but because of salary cap reasons, as the team saved $9 million following his release.
During the last four seasons, Cook has registered over 1,100 rushing yards each year. That includes last season when Cook finished with 1,173 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He also added 39 receptions for 295 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
After he was released, rumors swirled that Cook could sign with the Dolphins as he was born and raised in Miami. He also still lives and trains in Fort Lauderdale during the offseason. But the Dolphins and Cook never came to an agreement.
Many might ask why the Jets would sign Cook when they already have their running back of the future in Breece Hall, who the team selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. But there’s a significant question about Hall’s availability for the season-opener against the Bills on Sept. 11.
Hall is coming off a season-ending ACL tear he suffered last October in the Jets victory against the Broncos. Saleh has continued to say that he expects him to be ready for the opening game against Buffalo, but Hall has remained on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list dating back to OTAs in late May. Considering his age, it would make sense why the Jets wouldn’t want to rush Hall, 22, before he is ready to return.
Recent history suggests running backs typically take two years to fully return from an ACL tear. Since 2010, only two running backs, Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson, have had All-Pro seasons a year after suffering an ACL injury. Charles rushed for 1,509 yards and five touchdowns for the Chiefs in 2012 and Peterson finished with 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns en route to winning the 2012 NFL MVP.
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Cook will join a young stable of running backs in Hall, Michael Carter, Zonovan “Bam” Knight and Israel Abanikanda, who the team drafted in April. But adding Cook gives the Jets a home run threat out of the backfield, an element the team missed after Hall’s injury.
Since acquiring Aaron Rodgers in a trade with the Packers in April, the Jets have been in win-now mode as players and coaches not only believe they have a good enough roster to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010 but also compete with the Chiefs, Bengals and Bills in the AFC.
Cook also believes the Jets are good enough to be championship contenders.
“It’s a unique situation because a lot of people think something is special over there,” Cook said about the Jets. “When you look at it, you always want to be around someone who you can pick his brain and just learn from and A-Rod is a former four-time MVP. Just being around a guy like that, you can learn a lot more and just develop as a player and that’s what I’m looking to do.”