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The New England Patriots can breathe a sigh of relief for now in pursuit of free agent running back Dalvin Cook.
He turned down a contract offer by the Miami Dolphins according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. Cook wants a different offer than what the Dolphins put forward, Darlington reported.
The video clip of @JeffDarlington on @ESPNNFL talking about @dalvincook and Miami. #FinsUp
Cook became a free agent on June 10 when the Minnesota Vikings released him amid his $63 million contract with the team. All four AFC East teams got linked to Cook in recent weeks, and the Dolphins had a unique advantage since Cook grew up in the Miami area.
New England has been “intrigued” with Cook, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported, despite the Patriots’ current backfield. Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Adding Cook to the backfield could make sense as Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has rolled with two running backs before. That dynamic occurred with the last Patriots Super Bowl-winning squad when Sony Michel and James White shared the load.
Former Patriots Star Reacts to Dalvin Cook News
Cook’s denial of the Dolphins notably caught former Patriots star cornerback Devin McCourty‘s attention.
“His agent letting teams know….send the offers over…open for business,” McCourty exclaimed with an ‘lol’ at the end.
McCourty didn’t suggest the Patriots as a landing spot directly, but Cook’s arrival could help the Patriots contradict McCourty’s view of the 2023 team. McCourty, who retired in March, didn’t think this year’s Patriots could go far.
“But I think especially as you get older, you start to only play to win a Super Bowl,” McCourty said via Arif Hassan of Pro Football Network.
“And I was like, if I go back, I don’t think we’ll go win a Super Bowl,” McCourty added. “So as I started to sit there and be like, alright, ‘what did we really set myself up for? We were eight and nine last year? Am I gonna go to another team? Is it worth it for six months?’”
McCourty played 13 seasons for the Patriots and helped the team win three Super Bowls. He accumulated three second-team All-Pro honors and two Pro Bowl selections.
Dalvin Cook to Jets ‘Gaining Momentum’
New England can’t rest easy with Cook’s Dolphins denial because the New York Jets could jump in and sign Cook.
Both NBC Sports’ Mike Florio and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer indicated the potential for Cook to join the Jets. New York notably has running back Breece Hall, who rushed for 463 yards in seven games before injury curtailed his season.
“The Jets have been gaining momentum as we get closer and closer to camp, and the Jets were a team that I was aware of as a potential destination for Cook weeks before he was actually cut,” Florio said. “We don’t know how healthy Breece Hall will be.”
Breer floated the Jets as “a team he’d like to go to” via a Threads post. Breer added “there’s a good chance Cook becomes a Jet” to alleviate Hall’s injury from last season.
It could also spell trouble for the Patriots in a loaded AFC East.
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Dalvin Cook Makes Decision on Patriots Rival: Report