Dalvin Cook feeding speculation of interest from AFC contender
It was all but assumed that when the Minnesota Vikings released four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook that he would end up signing with his hometown Miami Dolphins.
However, a recent report from ESPN’s Dianna Russini and Cook’s social media activity over the last three days seem to indicate that there might be mutual interest between him and another AFC East contender, the New York Jets.
“The Miami Dolphins and New York Jets (are) just two of many teams that are doing some homework (on Cook),” Russini said on a recent episode of “NFL Live.” “…The Dalvin Cook side of this would be smart to wait (until July 17) and see if those (running backs who were franchise tagged get) deals done because that would reset the market and you could see where Cook would fall. I was actually told they’re going to be really patient over the next two weeks, there is no rush to get signed up with a team.”
Russini’s report may have lit the burner, but Cook has certainly been stirring the pot.
The Florida State alum has retweeted a couple of “NFL Live” video clips mentioning him possibly signing with New York, and he's liked a series of tweets mentioning the Jets interest in him. A few of the tweets Cook has liked or shared are below.
If the Jets’ interest in Cook is genuine, that would likely indicate the team believes that second-year back Breece Hall may not be ready for the start of the regular season as he recovers from a torn ACL.
New York’s depth at RB is thin behind Hall with just Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight, rookie Israel Abanikanda and undrafted free agent Travis Dye on the active roster.
While Cook has also shared a few social media posts from fans suggesting Cook sign with Miami, the Dolphins' reported interest in the former second-round pick is nothing new.
Buffalo and New England have also been linked to Cook as possible landing spots as well. His younger brother James plays for the Bills, and the Patriots are in hot pursuit of free-agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who Cook recently said he would like to play with on the same team.
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