Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh reacting in the middle of an NFL game.
A dream is on the verge of being realized for New York Jets fans this offseason.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk revealed in a new report that Gang Green has been “gaining momentum” toward a potential signing of free agent running back Dalvin Cook as we get closer to training camp.
“The Jets are a team that I was aware of as a potential destination for Cook weeks before he was actually cut,” Florio explained in a video posted on NBC Sports on July 6.
SWEET LORD HAVE MERCY: @ProFootballTalk said the #Jets have been ‘gaining momentum’ on the Dalvin Cook (@dalvincook) front heading towards training camp, ‘the Jets are a team that I was aware of as a potential destination for Cook weeks before he was actually cut’ + another…
Breece Hall Injury Has Opened Door Wide Open for Cook-Jets Pairing
“The Jets have more interest than most realize,” Florio explained. “Because of running back Breece Hall’s ongoing ACL recovery and because they’re already gone all in by trading for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And there’s a net gain to being the team that gets him, since that team keeps him away from the other.”
Throughout the course of the offseason, the Jets have said all of the right things as it pertains to the recovery timeline of Hall. The door was left open for the talented runner to be ready for the Week 1 home game versus the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
However, Florio said, “We don’t know how healthy Breece Hall will be. We don’t know if he’ll be ready for Week 1. They’ve said all the right things, but we don’t know. That is a lot of eggs to put into one basket.”
Before the Jets broke for their summer break ahead of training camp, head coach Robert Saleh said “Obviously we’ll turn over the stones” on a potential Cook addition.
Plenty of Signs That Cook and the Jets Could Happen in 2023
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated provided some additional details in a post on the new app Threads:
“I think there’s a good chance Cook becomes a Jet, and my sense is it’s a team he’d like to go to. He makes sense for them, too—getting him would allow them to be judicious [in] bringing Breece Hall back.”
Cook is 27 years of age and he will turn 28 by the start of the 2023 season.
The veteran running back was released by the Minnesota Vikings on June 9 after failing to find a trade partner.
Florio mentioned the Jets and Miami Dolphins as “top contenders” for Cook’s services and also name-dropped the New England Patriots as another possibility.
Cook would provide star-level insurance for Hall as he recovers from a torn ACL. Another additional benefit that Florio mentioned is whatever team signs Cook will simultaneously benefit from one of their division rivals not being able to add him to the equation.
For example, if the Jets signed him, the Dolphins and Patriots could be left at the proverbial alter which could be the cherry on top of this potential signing.
Cook has openly flirted with the Jets on social media with the rumors floating around this offseason. He even retweeted this latest report from Florio about New York “gaining momentum” for his services on Thursday, July 6.
The #Jets have been “gaining momentum” on the @DalvinCook front as we head towards training camp (PFT).