Getty Jerod Mayo could land Dalvin Cook in free agency.
The New England Patriots missed on Dalvin Cook last year, but the former 1,000-yard running back could bring a spark to the team this year.
New England lost Ezekiel Elliott in free agency, and the Patriots don’t have a substantial veteran rusher behind Rhamondre Stevenson. Cook, who spent a subpar 2023 season with the New York Jets, might have something left at relatively low cost.
“I’ve got it all,” Cook said in April via KPRC 2 reporter Aaron Wilson. “The tools are still here. I didn’t really get no reps last year. So, the legs are fresh, so the resume speaks for itself. I’m still Dalvin Cook.”
“I’m still that guy. For me, I don’t like to toot my own horn. I just like to go out there, put my helmet on and line up on the grass,” Cook added.
He proved it for the first six years of his career with four 1,000-yard seasons and six or more touchdowns in all four of those years — the last in 2022. Cook made four Pro Bowls and helped the Minnesota Vikings make the playoffs twice in that span.
Dalvin Cook Faced Tough 2023 Amid RB Market Decline
DALVIN COOK TAKES IT 81-YARDS FOR THE TD 🤯
(via @NFL)
Minnesota released Cook last year because of his five-year, $63 million contract when the running back market went south. The Jets signed him in August 2023 on a one-year, $7 million contract, and he played sparingly behind running back Breece Hall and because of a shoulder injury.
Cook rushed for career lows of 67 attempts for 214 yards, a 3.2 yards per carry average, and no touchdowns. Despite his performance, the Baltimore Ravens picked him up for the playoffs after he requested a release by the Jets.
Cook showed some of his old burst with 23 yards on eight carries in one playoff game. That included a 19-yard run during a 34-10 victory over the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.
“I think last year was really like a learning curve for me,” Cook told Wilson. “I got kind of itchy at the time it was coming, the season. It was where I wanted to go and now it’s about the opportunities are going to come.”
Opportunity Awaits Patriots With Dalvin Cook
Cook has remained a free agent while other running backs have come and gone since March. It hasn’t deterred him from his next opportunity, and a new-look Patriots squad under head coach Jerod Mayo could be the fit.
“Yeah, you always have to be prepared for the opportunity,” Cook told Wilson. “For me, I’m a veteran in the league. I know what it takes to be successful in this league.”
“I know who Dalvin Cook is and I know how I want to perform and what I want to do. Like you said, stay ready, so you ain’t got to get ready,” Cook added.
Cook once talked up teaming up with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins — both of whom were on the Patriots’ radar in 2023. While the Patriots don’t have the same winning outlook the 2022 offseason offered, New England has the best salary cap situation in the NFL with $44.41 million available.
In other words, the Patriots could easily exceed Cook’s old contract with the Jets if that’s what it takes to sign him.