Losing Dalvin Cook was a tough blow for every Vikings fan this offseason. Cutting one of your best offensive weapons is especially painful because you receive no draft picks or young talent in return to be hopeful for. However, parting ways with Dalvin Cook is not all bad news for the Minnesota Vikings.

With Dalvin scheduled to make $14.1 million next season he was going to be one of the highest paid running backs in the league and if the 2023 off season has taught us anything, it’s that running backs are just not that valuable anymore. Sure they may be valuable players on their field, but when a comparable replacement is available for a fraction of the price it just doesn’t makes sense to pay a premium.

Besides the Vikings have bigger things to worry about than keeping a 27 year-old running back on the roster. With only one year remaining on his rookie deal, and a fifth year option available, resigning Justin Jefferson needs to be the top priority for the Vikings front office until the deal is done. The release of Dalvin Cook was just an unfortunate casualty in the pursuit of resigning J.J. and making him one of the highest paid players in the league. The move provides valuable cap space to a team struggling with the cap already.

This is a classic example of not being able to have your cake and eat it to. While Viking’s fans have enjoyed watching the explosive power and break-away speed of Dalvin Cook, there is not a single one of them who would chose the aging running back over the most dynamic and exciting player to join the team since Randy Moss or Adrian Peterson. 

Photo: From Week 9 of the NFL Season featuring the Washington Commanders vs the Minnesota Vikings from FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland, November 6, 2022. (All-Pro Reels / Joe Glorioso)