A bit of back-and-forth is going on between the Minnesota Vikings and the running back.
On Tuesday, July 28, every player on the Minnesota Vikings current roster is expected to report to the team’s facilities for this year’s training camp.
According to Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer on Saturday, everyone is expected to be in attendance on Tuesday, even running back Dalvin Cook.
Shortly after Zimmer revealed that Cook told him he would be showing up to camp, however, the running back’s agent Zac Hiller disputed the claim made by the head coach.
Vikings News: Will Dalvin Cook show up on the first day of camp?
Hiller spoke to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday after finding out what Zimmer had said about his client. Cook’s agent said that the running back actually did not tell Minnesota’s head coach that he would be arriving to the team’s facilities on Tuesday.
"“First, congrats to Coach Zimmer on his well-earned extension. However, Dalvin has not spoken to him in regards to reporting to camp. We are unsure why this was said. I hope Dalvin can continue to play a major role in the Vikings future success.”"
These comments resulted in people attempting to figure out which side was telling the truth. Come to find out, Zimmer was the one who was telling a little bit a of fib according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on Saturday.
Some clarity: #Vikings RB Dalvin Cook told RBs coach Kennedy Polamalu he plans to report to training camp, per source. Polamalu relayed that to coach Mike Zimmer, who has texted with Cook tonight to straighten things out.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 26, 2020
Bottom line: Minnesota expects Cook in camp Tuesday.
Despite the Vikings trying to correct their head coach’s attempt to stretch the truth, Hiller still disputed that any conversation has been had between the team and Cook related to the running back showing up on the first day of camp. His agent told Schefter the following.
"“Dalvin and Coach Polamalu speak often as they have a great relationship. Dalvin has never mentioned to him anything in regards to reporting to camp. I’m not sure where the miscommunication is. I hope Dalvin plays a major role in the Vikings future success.”"
Is anyone having fun yet? Right now, all we know is someone is telling the truth and someone is not. Cook could end up reporting to camp on Tuesday, but that still doesn’t mean he told Zimmer that is what’s happening.
ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum threw out an interesting theory on Sunday that players like Cook and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle might still report to camp on time this year, but they might not be full participants in an effort to get a new contract from their team.
Talking to multiple teams/agents; look for a new trend of “Hold Ins” vs “Hold Outs”. As teams open, I fully expect G. Kittle & D. Cook to report, but not practice, until they get new contracts. In the new CBA, they lose the necessary Accrued Season if they don’t report on time.
— Mike Tannenbaum (@RealTannenbaum) July 26, 2020
It’s even possible that Cook could report to training camp on Tuesday, be a full participant for each practice, and still holdout for 15 games of the regular season. A new rule was recently agreed upon by the NFL and the NFLPA that allows players to still accrue a season as long as they are on their team’s Week 1 roster and they are active for at least one contest.
If Cook did this, he would become an unrestricted free agent in 2021 and he would have the ability to sign with any team he desired.
With how much Minnesota has built their offense around Cook and his skill-set, letting him hit free agency next year would not be a wise decision. For now though, we wait and see if the running back will be checking into Vikings camp on Tuesday like the rest of his teammates.