Another veteran running back is off the market, as Dalvin Cook has reached an agreement with the New York Jets.
Cook’s deal is for one year worth up to $8.6 million to join Gang Green, a team he has been connected to for quite some time, ESPN reported.
Cook virtually confirmed his landing with the Jets by posting a green heart on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
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Cook met with the Jets recently, where both sides seemed very interested in one another. However, he left Florham Park, New Jersey, without a deal despite meeting with the front office, coaches and teammates who were on the training camp practice field.
Still, Cook, who was released by the Minnesota Vikings earlier this offseason, said in late July that odds were "pretty high" he was going to land with the Jets.
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It’s a favorable situation for any free agent looking for a winning environment due to the arrival of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers as the team’s quarterback among other factors, which include Garrett Wilson’s emergence as the team’s top wide receiver and a stellar defense featuring the likes of Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams and more.
Cook and the Jets finally found common ground, and New York gains another elite offensive weapon that can help them toward their goal of breaking that 12-year playoff drought.
It is a crowded running backs room for the Jets that Cook will be joining, led by Breece Hall, who was a standout rookie second-round pick last season. He’s recovering from a torn ACL that cut his stellar start to 2022 short after seven games.
There’s also Michael Carter, Bam Knight and rookies Israel Abanikanda and Travis Dye, who will now be vying for one less roster spot with Cook coming aboard.
Cook and Hall could become a brutal dynamic duo that defenses need to deal with, as they both have bruising rushing abilities while serving well in the passing game.
And for those that believe Cook will come in and immediately get the lion’s share of touches in the backfield, GM Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh have consistently backed Hall’s abilities after what he was able to accomplish in his short rookie season. The Jets didn’t move up in the second round to snag him last year without believing he could be a key piece for the future.
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But Cook, a four-time Pro Bowler, will be getting the ball as he has rushed for over 1,100 yards in each of the last four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, who drafted him in the second round in 2017 out of Florida State.
Last season, Cook rushed for 1,173 yards with eight touchdowns, while hauling in 39 receptions for 295 yards and two scores in his first full season of his career. Injuries have seen Cook miss significant time over the years.
Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has to be happy to get another Pro Bowl addition to his group whose expectations are only bigger than they already were heading into 2023.
