Chicago Bears: How a Dalvin Cook trade could happen

1. Vikings don’t budge

If you look at a couple of recent examples, history doesn’t exactly bode well for running backs in Cook’s shoes.

Last year, Le’Veon Bell came off of an entire season not playing football. He stuck to his guns. When it came time for his free agency decision, there weren’t many interested suitors in the end. Despite several different reports, it ultimately came down to the Jets offering the most money with a couple of teams unwilling to commit top-tier cash.

Bell ended up getting a 4-year deal worth $52.5 million, for an average of around $13 million per season. Here’s the kicker: Not only did Bell fail to get Todd Gurley type money, but the Jets can also move on with very little lost after 2020, voiding the final two years of his deal.

More recently, Melvin Gordon played this game and lost. After sitting out a few games in 2019, Gordon came back and was worked back into the offense while Austin Ekeler had claimed a prominent role.

This spring, Gordon signed a measly 2-year deal worth $16 million with the Denver Broncos. That isn’t exactly inspiring to someone like Cook, who obviously wants top running back money.

The Vikings already have another solid running back in second-year pro Alexander Mattison, who proved, as a rookie, that he can do it all just like Cook. Running back is such a replaceable position in the NFL, so the Vikings very well could hold their ground, leaving Cook high and dry.

If Minnesota holds firm, maybe they look to trade him early in the season or even just before the start of the season — similarly to the Khalil Mack situation.