Former Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook still hasn't landed with a new NFL team, more than a month after he was released.
Training camps around the NFL are set to begin in about two weeks and veteran running back Dalvin Cook is still searching for a new team to suit up for after getting released by the Minnesota Vikings in June.
Cook has reportedly received offers from multiple teams around the league since his release, including the Miami Dolphins, but no deal has been signed yet.
On Monday, NFL Media's Cameron Wolfe shared that the former Vikings running back and his camp are reportedly willing to wait until after training camp begins, or even until the regular season starts, to sign with a new team in an effort to get a contract that better meets his desires.
Waiting for the perfect offer is only going to cost former Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook
Wolfe's report about Cook potentially waiting until the start of the regular season to join a new team is certainly interesting.
It sounds like the Minnesota running back is essentially waiting for a team to develop a desperate need for his services at some point within the next few weeks.
The problem is, however, this isn't the 1990s, and a team losing their top running back to something like a significant injury isn't as big of a deal as it used to be. Most teams will just turn to the other running backs that are already on their roster to fill in for an injured player instead of spending a bunch of money on a veteran free agent.
Cook should know this though, since this is the approach that the Vikings took in 2017 when he tore his ACL early in the season. Minnesota didn't go out and sign an expensive free-agent running back to replace Cook on their roster. Instead, they just utilized a combo of two players that were already on their roster, Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon, to lead their rushing attack.
So whoever is telling Cook to wait it out to land a better offer from a team this offseason isn't providing the former Minnesota running back with any helpful advice.
Cook is better off going with one of the offers he reportedly has on the table right now so that he can use training camp to establish that he should be the guy getting the majority of the touches in the offensive backfield for his new team.
He reportedly believes he is still one of the best running backs in the NFL and wants to be paid accordingly, according to Wolfe. But the longer Cook waits to sign with a new team, the more difficult it could be to adjust to a new offense, and the less money he is likely going to earn in 2023.