Vikings News: Contract talks with Dalvin Cook reportedly put on hold

Some Minnesota Vikings news related to their top running back was revealed on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, we reported how the Minnesota Vikings have been limiting Dalvin Cook’s practice reps during this year’s training camp as they continue to negotiate with the running back on a possible extension.

On Wednesday, however, it appears that these contract talks between the Vikings and Cook are being put on pause.

According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, negotiations for a new deal, “broke off,” between Minnesota and their running back on Tuesday. Pelissero did make sure to mention that this latest development does not end the possibility of Cook getting an extension from the Vikings.

Vikings News: Will Dalvin Cook get a new deal before 2021?

Wednesday’s news is certainly disappointing for both Minnesota and their top running back. Both sides have made it clear this offseason that they want to get a deal done that keeps Cook in the Twin Cities past 2021, but there is obviously something that appears to be preventing that from happening.

If the Vikings and their No. 1 running back do not reach an agreement on an extension before the end of the upcoming season and he appears in at least one game this year, he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2021.

Now, this doesn’t automatically mean that Cook will sign elsewhere if he hits free agency next year. Minnesota can always place the franchise tag on him, which is expected to pay him at least $8 million in 2021 according to OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald.

The Vikings used the franchise tag on safety Anthony Harris earlier this offseason, but it didn’t result in the two sides agreeing to a new, multi-year contract. Would things turn out differently for Minnesota if they used the tag on Cook in 2021?

Don’t count out the possibility of a deal getting done before the season just yet though either. While the Vikings typically like to get their contract extensions completed during the beginning of training camp each year, there have been instances in the past in which the team has agreed to extend a player just a few days before the start of the regular season.

In fact, former Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson and the team didn’t agree to an extension until the day before the 2011 regular-season opener. Rick Spielman was not the Vikings general manager at the time of that extension, but he was still a part of the team’s front office that was involved in the negotiations with Peterson.

Whether Cook gets a new deal before Week 1 or not, the running back has already made it clear that he’ll be ready to play no matter what. Minnesota can at least feel a bit of relief knowing this, but they should still be working day and night to extend Cook’s tenure with the team past 2020.