Star running back Dalvin Cook is still searching for his next NFL team.
Earlier this month, the Minnesota Vikings parted ways with the 28-year-old in a move to save the salary cap. By releasing Cook after June 1, the team saved $9 million in cap space but took on $5.1 million in dead money on his 2023 salary cap.
Whether teams should pay running backs has been a polarizing issue in the league. The New York Giants appear to be at a crossroads with their star running back Saquon Barkley, and Derrick Henry’s future in Tennessee is unclear.
But one thing that is clear to Cook is who he wants to team with whenever he lands for the 2023 football season.
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Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before the NFC wild card playoff game against the New York Giants at US Bank Stadium on January 15, 2023 in Minneapolis. (David Berding/Getty Images)
During a recent appearance on «The Adam Schefter Podcast,» Cook discussed the possibility of lining up on the field with fellow free agent DeAndre Hopkins.
«If we end up on the same list, that would be epic for the NFL,» Cook said.
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The Arizona Cardinals released Hopkins, 31, last month. Since then he has visited the Tennessee Titans and the New England Patriots, according to multiple reports.
«I know his way of thinking and I’ve played D-Hop a few times,» Cook told Schefter. «When I was with D-Hop, we kind of chilled together, we were together, and it’s like I see the person he is, he wants to win and that’s what I think.»
«I want to go win. Like I said, the money is going to come and that’s going to happen. But as far as lifting that [Vince Lombardi] trophy, he has the same mentality as me».
DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals runs with the ball against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium on November 6, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. (Norma Hall/Getty Images)
Cook noted that he hasn’t had a conversation with Hopkins about joining the same team, but did mention that he planned to «reach out» with the wide receiver.
«But we haven’t talked. And he was one of those guys that I was going to approach, because, like, I know he had the same mentality as me, like we’re trying to win. We’re trying to go list and try to go to compete».
Cook is a Florida native and is expected to draw interest from his hometown team, the Miami Dolphins, according to a recent report by Schefter.
But Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel dodged the question about Cook when it was brought up during minicamp last week.
Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings runs during the first half against the New York Giants in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at US Bank Stadium on January 15, 2023 in Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The Vikings selected Cook in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He dealt with a variety of injuries during the early part of his professional football career, but he racked up 1,000-yard seasons in four straight years from 2019 to 2022.
He also racked up 29 rushing touchdowns over the course of the 2019-2020 seasons.
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Hopkins, meanwhile, has been named a three-time first-team All-Pro. The star receiver had 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns last season in Arizona. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Houston Texans.
«If we can be on the same roster and be on the same team, that’s going to be the beauty of the situation,» Cook said.