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Though the Kansas City Chiefs have re-signed Jerick McKinnon and added undrafted rookie Deneric Prince since the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft. But the team could still add more talent to its backfield.
Most of the veteran free agents remaining are past their primes, but acquiring a player with exceptional ability via trade is a possibility as well. That’s why Kenneth Teape thinks a trade for Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook makes sense for the Chiefs.
“Kansas City was named one of the best fits for Cook, who remains productive but has a pricy contract,” Teape wrote on May 9. “With a trade for DeAndre Hopkins likely not happening, the money the Chiefs have opened up could be used on Cook.”
But what would it take on Kansas City’s end to pull off that type of trade? Teape thinks two future late-round picks would do the job.
“Kansas City could offer their 2024 fourth and seventh-round picks to Minnesota in exchange for the four-time Pro Bowler,” Teape wrote.
Dalvin Cook Would Give Chiefs Elite 1-2 Punch
Dalvin Cook was a second-round pick of the Vikings in 2017. After injuries plagued the first two seasons of his NFL career, Cook rattled off four straight 1,000-yard seasons and 46 total touchdowns (43 rushing, 3 receiving) over the last four seasons according to Pro Football Reference.
Despite being fresh off of a 2022 season in which he registered a 264-1173-8 stat line, Cook could potentially become a free agent or be traded in the coming months due to his contract.
Cook has three years remaining on his five-year, $63 million extension with Minnesota. He has a $14.1 million cap hit in 2023, which is the third-highest among all NFL running backs per Spotrac. In 2024 and 2025 he has cap hits of $15.6 million and $14.5 million respectively. If Cook is released this offseason, the Vikings would save $32.8 million over the next three seasons.
During his six-year NFL career, Cook has accumulated 5,993 rushing yards on 4.7 yards per attempt, 1,794 receiving yards on 221 receptions, and has scored a total of 52 touchdowns (47 rushing, 5 receiving) according to Pro Football Reference. Cook has been named a Pro Bowler four times during his career, all of which were over the last four seasons.
Kansas City’s current backfield includes Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, La’Mical Perine, and Deneric Prince. Adding Cook to that backfield would give the Chiefs an elite 1-2 punch between Cook and Pacheco and would decrease the roles of McKinnon and CEH.
Do the Chiefs Have the Money to Take on Cook?
If the Chiefs had any interest in acquiring Cook they would first need to free up cap space, as they are currently over the limit.
According to Over The Cap’s effective cap space (the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster), the Chiefs are $470, 244 over the cap as it currently stands.
Extending All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones and/or manipulating quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract in some way could free up a significant amount of cap space and make financial room for a player like Cook.
The issue that remains with Kenneth Teape’s trade proposal is the draft compensation. The Chiefs traded their 2024 seventh-round draft pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for defensive back Lonnie Johnson in May 2022. Kansas City does however have a sixth-round pick in 2024 and that could potentially be packaged with their fourth-rounder to acquire Cook.
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