Dalvin Cook Contract Wish? Same at Cowboys RB Tony Pollard
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FRISCO - In this era of "the devaluation of the running back,'' the $10 million APY runner is out of vogue. Don't tell that to unsigned stars Saquon Barkley of the Giants or Josh Jacobs of the Raiders, who are scoffing at accepting that number via their franchise tag.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, Cowboys Pro Bowl back Tony Pollard received that same $10.09 mil tag offer and ... took it and ran - literally. And now comes Dalvin Cook, the cut-loose Minnesota Vikings star, on the street and looking to negotiate his way to a new team and a new contract.
And guess how much he is asking for? According to the Miami Herald (Dalvin's hometown paper), Cook is seeking somewhere "around $10.4 million'' for his 2023 salary. Coincidence? We think not.
There are two logical reasons for Cook - who has the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills atop his wish list, with the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets maybe among the other interested suitors - to chase that number.
Reason No. 1: "Somewhere around $10.4 million'' is "somewhere around'' what Pollard makes. (Cook's desire is another reason that, as we reported long ago, the Cowboys have not counted themselves among the likely Cook bidders). In other words, it's the going rate.
Reason No. 2: This part makes us just slightly skeptical about the Herald report, because we think they've got an important number wrong. The Herald writes that Cook was due to make a $5 million salary with the Vikings before they cut him for cap reasons.
That doesn't match our information at all. Our understanding is that Cook's base salary, as part of the five-year, $63 million contract he signed with the Vikings in 2020 that gave him an average annual salary of $12.6 million, was ... guess how much?
That would be $10.4 million - exactly what Cook, coming off four straight Pro Bowl seasons and having averaged over 1,600 yards from scrimmage per year over that time - was scheduled to make before his release.
It's just that simple. Dalvin Cook wants to be paid like Tony Pollard. And Dalvin Cook wants to be paid like Dalvin Cook.
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