Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - Finding new ways to think about Dalvin Cook's next contract

Episode Date: June 12, 2020

Do the Vikings have more leverage? How is his situation different than other running backs? Could Alexander Mattison take Cook's job?  Make sure you read Matthew Coller's written work at PurpleInsider.substack.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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And joining me once again is ESPN's Myron Metcalf, because he wanted to pimp the home run of ending our last podcast talking about the situation with running backs and contracts, and just a couple of days later, Myron, Delvin Cook's side more or less announces when it comes through ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's an announcement that he will be holding out until he gets a contract extension, though holdout for Delvin Cook is a very tricky proposition under the new CBA. So first, why don't you just gloat a little and give me your reaction to this news coming out that Delvin Cook won't participate in anything else until he has a contract extension? Yeah, Kyle, you know me. I'm not the type of guy to say I told you so, but clearly I told you so. You know, I think the Dalvin Cook situation

locally, yes, it's about Dalvin Cook and what he decides to do. His options are quite limited given the circumstances in the moment. I think at the end of the day, there is a conclusion, and he's back in a Vikings uniform. But I do think every running back in this league has to be paying attention to what is happening in Minneapolis with the Vikings in this negotiation. Because this, to me, less than Christian McCaffrey. I mean, McCaffrey is a unique guy. His versatility is unique. His, you know, star power is unique in a city that no longer has Cam Newton. Christian McCaffrey is not a good guy to compare anyone to when you think about the running back market.

But Dalvin Cook, I think, certainly is. That is certainly more of a situation with elite running backs where, you know, you're not the guy necessarily selling the tickets you're important but replaceable from a protection level and probably from a marketing level you have durability issues i mean the fact that you've got a guy who i believe has played 29 games through three seasons that's not something we can ignore. And you look at what San Francisco has done. You look at what Kansas City has done with a guy like Damian Williams.

And this idea of needing that elite running back with burst, that is becoming more and more of a thing of the past. So I think this negotiation is going to determine a lot for the next class of running backs who think they're 13, 14, 15 million dollar running backs when in reality from a production standpoint and how they can be replaced numbers are probably single digits going forward and I think that's the gap here. The fact that according to Courtney Cronin's reporting,

the Vikings came in under 10 million, and you've got a guy in Dalvin Cook who wants possibly more than Christian McCaffrey, as much as Christian McCaffrey. That gap there and how it's determined, running backs in this league have to pay attention to it. NFL teams are paying attention to it. Because this, to me, feels like Dalvin Cook realized that, yes, he's an elite running back, but he's also sort of the CD in an era of streaming music. There's just not as much value for guys at your position.

Yeah, well, that's an interesting way to look at it. I've been trying to think of different metaphors and similes to make the point, and it's kind of like why would I pay for Blu-ray when I can watch the same thing on DVD? And maybe Blu-ray is a little better, but it's so much more expensive. Why do I need it? And that's sort of the Alexander Madison comparison. I was looking through Alexander Madison's numbers last night for a piece at purpleinsider.com and what I found was

Alexander Madison good at football also I mean 4.6 yards per carry last year but that only tells half the story he was one of the running backs that faced the most difficult circumstances with eight man boxes it was a lot of the Vikings are running when they're ahead in the game and they're bringing eight men into the box to try and shut them down. And he was still above average, and he was above average in yards after contact. He had a higher percentage of 10-plus yard runs than even Delvin Cook did, which there's some context to put into that. If Delvin Cook is wearing them down for the first two quarters

and then Madison comes in and plows people, that's different than being the 20-carry game guy. But also, there aren't too many running backs left that are doing 20-plus carries a game, and a lot of them are on their rookie contracts. And this is a problem for the NFL Players Association, I think, to look at this and say, you know, there are players who are this talented, like Delvin Cook, who can't get any type of offer because teams are just being savvy. I think the Vikings are on the right side to say, you know what, you mentioned 29 games, but even another half dozen of those are he was on a pitch count or he was playing injured or he left after the first half of the game. In Seattle, Alexander Madison has to come in in the second half of that game. So anything that goes wrong in your rookie contract, whether it's an injury or something like that, the team can come back and say, you know,

we just really can't pay you. I mean, you almost have to be perfect like Ezekiel Elliott or Christian McCaffrey to even make a case. And then there are a lot of people who look at the numbers and even look at what Ezekiel Elliott produces and say, you know, they had a great offensive line. They have a great system. They have a great quarterback. If they didn't have him, then Tony Pollard would probably be fine. And even Jerry Jones understood this. Before paying Ezekiel Elliott, he made some comment about, hey, you know,

Tony Pollard's pretty good, so he can run if we want him to. I think the teams, and it shows in the draft with only one first round running back this year, and he was drafted 32nd. It really shows that teams are realizing that there are a lot of people who can do the same job. And even someone like Delvin Cook, who is special, there's a lot of risk that comes along with a guy after he's reached 25, 26, 27, and especially if he's had some injuries. So I think that the NFL needs to consider some other

different way of looking at this, whether it's the idea of separating running backs from playmakers and having Christian McCaffrey just fall into a different category, or even Myron allowing players at that position to come out a year earlier from college and be eligible for the draft at, say, like 20 years old. Because a lot of times, and Delvin Cook would be the case, think about how much of his peak could have been in the NFL that was actually in college and they were handing him the ball 250 times a year.

And I think what you hit on with the playmakers idea is something we discussed in the last podcast um i think the elite running backs have to figure out how to you know sort of distinguish themselves and i don't know if this generation running back can pull it off but i tell you what if i'm an elite high school player coming into my sophomore year of high school and I'm kind of an all-state running back or something like that, I'm thinking long and hard about becoming more versatile and making sure I can do more things. Because I think what we're moving to is a generation of one-dimensional running backs not being compensated more than a few million dollars a year. And it's hard to argue against that. I think if you look back at the last five to six years with the running backs who got mega contracts, or not mega contracts, but big contracts,

name the last deal where we all said that worked out, that was good. Todd Gurley, within months, within months, Colin, of Todd Gurley's contract, we're going, oh, man, they overpaid. David Johnson rushed for over 1,200 yards in 2016. Since then, and his $39 million extension kicked in in 2018. Since then, he's rushed for 1,308 yards over the course of three seasons. He's also 28 years old. I mean, the Texans got him in the Andre Hopkins trade,

but it's like, what did they get? They got a guy who hasn't been healthy in three years, hasn't been produced in three years, and is right now, I believe, an $11.1 million cap hit for a guy at that position who, if they could go back, there's no way he gets that deal so i just can't see any running back deal where we've said oh man that was the right way to go and i think we'll say the same thing about zeke uh we could say the same thing about christian mccaffrey it's just a difficult spot to be in if you're if you're running back and i think the

vikings have to protect themselves because Because, yes, Alexander Madison's not. Being a featured back is a different situation, especially when you're playing with a quarterback. He's not Mahomes. Mahomes and Daniel Williams, that's a different situation. You're a complement to a guy who's got three or four other options. Dalvin Cook was very important for what the Vikings did. I mean, we saw that Packers game on Monday Night Football. No Dalvin Cook changed the dynamic of that game. But I also don't think this is a situation where if you're Dalvin Cook, you can say they can't replace me because I don't think

that's accurate. Now, I don't think they get the playmaker because Dalvin Cook's elite. Let's establish that. Dalvin Cook is a special running back. Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in this league. He's not your run-of-the-mill kind of guy. However, with a guy averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and I know it wasn't as a feature back, going up against the eight-man box as you described, I believe on 15% of his carries based on your piece

were 10 yards or more. I mean, this is a guy who's done a lot of productive things that maybe didn't look as sexy as Dalvin Cook and the way he did it. But from a production standpoint, if you're Zimmer, if you're Kubiak, and you're looking at what he's doing for your team, you understand we've got the power here. We've got all the power here because we can move forward without Dalvin Cook in ways that I don't think he can move forward without us because where does he go and get what he's looking for in this NFL? There's no place to go. Yeah, the only place that might be interested is a team that just has a ton of cap space and could say, you know what, I mean, even if we pay this guy and it doesn't work out, it's not really going to matter because it doesn't match up with our timeline for paying people.

And, you know, the Vikings are somewhat in that situation, and they could make this happen. It's just how hardball do they want to play and how much risk are they taking on by signing him in 2021 we don't know what the salary cap situation is going to look like but looking at all the players who could come off the books Riley Reif for the most part I mean Riley Reif right there covers your Delvin Cook contract but also it might limit who else you could sign and who else becomes a free agent the following year if a Fadi Adenabo doesn't work out, you're going to be looking to the free agent market saying, is there a defensive end that we need to pay now for $15 million or more a year? So you don't really know what's going to happen down the line. If there are other cornerbacks outside of Jeff Gladney, go bust.

If Mike Hughes can't play or gets hurt again, then you're going to be on the cornerback market for free agency before 2021. And you're going to be looking around saying, OK, now we've got to spend 15 million on a corner to try and bring them in. And that's where it does become a little bit tricky for the Vikings. I do think if they wanted to trade Delvin Cook in this situation to have somebody else sign him, there probably would be another team out there. But let's talk more about just how replaceable he is. I think when it comes to guys turning negative runs into positive runs, he's one of the best in the NFL. When it comes to turning a little gap into a 75-yard touchdown or a screen pass into a 10-yard gain, he is really

special. I mean, there are very few running backs who can do this. The problem is that there were 31 running backs who averaged between four and five yards a carry last year. I mean, there are very few running backs who can do this. The problem is that there were 31 running backs who averaged between four and five yards a carry last year. I mean, yeah, I know that the percentage points matter here, but, I mean, when you're talking about such small numbers between four and five yards, a lot of guys can do that. And there are a lot of great athletes. And a lot of times, too, if you're coming out of high school as the greatest athlete who's ever played in your town, a lot of times your college wants to put you at running back because they have a running type of system as opposed to making you into a wide receiver. Now, if they want to make this worth it, I think that signing Delvin Cook to a deal that's similar to David Johnson's

and then using him more from a receiver role would separate him from being able to say, well, you know, you could just have Alexander Madison do the exact same job. Like, well, not if he's lining up in the slot, not if he's lining up at outside wide receiver. They've only done it a couple of times, once against Green Bay Week 2 2018, and once against Detroit, and I don't remember them doing it much last year. I think they might have run a reverse with him one time. But there have been very few instances of this. And if you were going to do it, which I still think that they will,

that is the way to justify it is to say, you know what, we're going to take his role and we're going to expand it and use Madison and him on the field more often because you don't have a Thielen Diggs. You want to use Justin Jefferson. But Delvin Cook is still your best player with the football. And I think if they expand his role, again, this is bigger than Delvin Cook, because now you're looking at the next round of players who are going to say, okay, if that's what I have to do to get paid more,

I'm going to demand these additional touches. I'm going to demand that you make me, you know, put me in a more versatile position. But every player isn't equipped to do that. I mean, we look at everyone and we go, oh, just make him a part of the receiving game. Throw him a couple passes. Everyone's not equipped to do that.

Like that's not an easy transition in this league. There's a reason that a lot of these guys are kind of North-South running backs because that's what they've been extremely good at for the duration of their careers. To assume that all of them can turn into these options in the open field, you know, I don't know that that's reality for every player kind of watching what will happen with Dalvin Cook. But I do think whatever you got to do to get the ball in his hands in 2020 do it right because you have lost

Diggs you're dealing with a feeling who you haven't seen completely healthy in a while you got to put the ball in his hands and I think the advantage he has too is he's got a coach who loves to run the ball he's got a coach who loves to run the ball. He's got a coach who, no matter what is happening in the league around him, he loves to run the ball. He's got a system with Kubiak that thrives on play action, and you need Dalvin Cook to be an element in that, to get defenses to bite and to be sort of confused and concerned about what could happen so i think there's an intangible element of dalvin cook's presence too in ways

that you know alexander madison does not duplicate that same fear and sense of intimidation but i do think that running backs for the most part are fighting losing battles in this league um Leonard Fournette doesn't have a job yet right I mean I think Leonard Fournette is still looking for uh still with Jacksonville but wanted a new but one but potentially yeah yeah yeah there's there's rumor that he could be traded I mean that's a guy who a couple years ago people said oh they gotta pay him now Jacksonville's kind of like, I don't know if we'll pay him. So I think this Dalvin Cook, what happens from here will be important for more than just Dalvin Cook, but for the rest of the league.

I think the advantage of the negotiating table, like I've been thinking of, what does Dalvin Cook say? We're talking a lot about what the Vikings say. Like they've got all the power. The advantage that Dalvin Cook has to me, Colin, correct me if I'm wrong, is, listen, you all were 12-3

whenever I went more than 100 yards from scrimmage and I believe they were, what, 6-9-1 or they were sub-500, certainly, when he had fewer than 100 yards from scrimmage. You've got a quarterback that you just signed to another extension, and you've witnessed what happens when I'm with him versus when I'm not with him.

If you want to get the most out of this deal with Kirk Cousins, you've got to pay me what I deserve because it would be a lie for the Vikings to say that Dalvin Cook didn't have a direct effect on this team's ability to win games against good teams and their quarterback's ability to make big plays and to play his most efficient football. So that, to me, is the argument that Dalvin Cook has. You're going to waste this run with Kirk Cousins? You're going to – you already lost Diggs. You're going to let him lose me too?

That's something that the Vikings have to be thinking long and hard about too. Before we get back to the conversation, got to take a second to thank our sponsors, SodaStick. Go to SodaStick.com to get your original Minnesota sports-inspired goods. If you have not seen yet the Can't Stop the Feelin' hat, you got to check it out. It's part of an official partnership with Adam Feelin. If you need to get some new hats for summer, they're having their annual summer hat deal right now. Get 30% off select hats when buying two or more. Sotastick.com to shop. That is S-O-T-A-S-T-I-C-K.com. 30% off select hats. No code needed. Discount automatically

applied at checkout. Deal ends June 20th. Yeah, I think I'm showing him the tape of the Dallas game where they run 10 straight times and score a touchdown and where there are several swing passes that Delvin Cook takes from behind the line of scrimmage to being huge gains. But if you're the Vikings, you might be like, hey, remember 2017 when we went 13-3 with Jarek McKinnon doing the same thing? Yeah.

With Latavius Murray pounding forward doing the same thing. Why can't that be Alexander Madison and Mike Boone? And that's exactly what San Francisco and that's exactly what Kansas City and other teams have done is they've said, let's find a couple of guys who can do specific things. None of them are Delvin Cook, but we can add up to Delvin Cook. Think about in baseball. Let's say you got, you know, the left field position. You don't have Barry Bonds out there in left field. So you get one guy who hits lefties pretty well, one guy who plays defense

really well, another guy who hits righties pretty well, and then you kind of create one player by just rotating them in in left field. Well, that's what the running back position has kind of come to. I wanted to ask you, in today's game and in past years, because remember, like, not just even when we were growing up, but not that long ago, when we were wearing overly-sized shirts and pants back in the early 2000s, which some of those pictures, you're like, I don't know how that happened. They were sad. They were sad.

I mean, they were sad. What were we doing? I blame the NBA. It was their fault. But it wasn't just us. I mean, it was Hollywood. It was athletes. It was Jordan.

Like, think about all those pictures of Jordan where he's wearing way oversized khakis and stuff like that. It wasn't just me. Yeah, it was. It was everyone. I covered the 2004 NBA draft. And when I tell you that these players were being swallowed by their suits, like it was like how much fabric did it take to design that suit?

But at the time you thought it was cool, man. That was the way to go. That's right. You're making Kwame Brown look small. How is this possible? You guys have been one, and yet it's hanging off. It was definitely not just us. I also had the white T-shirts that were like T-shirts.

I blame Nelly. I blame Nelly and the saint lunatic i feel like they they promoted a lot of that i mean hip-hop in general was like the oversized era that everybody kind of picked up well and music videos were so big at the time that you know you'd see dmx and naz and all these guys and they they'd be wearing long, long shirts. And then, you know, you'd see Allen Iverson on TV, who was getting called a thug by everybody for wearing oversized clothes and such, which is another podcast. But, you know, so like that's what you saw.

So you went out and you bought a shirt that was way too damn big. Anyway, but the other thing we did, other than wearing clothes that didn't fit, was we loved our running backs back in the day. Like, usually running backs would end up on the cover of Madden. You'd have your, you know, Sean Alexanders and LaDainian Tomlinson's. And I guess I was thinking about who deserves or deserves to get paid. Like, who comes to mind for you that would have been so worth it or is so worth it in today's

game like are there guys because there are arguments from some people that say look you just should never pay them and no matter how good you think your running back is there's another guy coming out of college who you can get in the second round by the way you don't have to even spend a first round pick you can get the guy in the second round who's going to be just as good as your guy but obviously that's not true. So who comes to mind for you that would have been, take all my money, you are that good? So we're talking current or any player ever?

How about you do both? Any player ever, give me Thurman Thomas. He was my favorite running back. I wasn't an Emmitt Smith guy. I wasn't a Cowboys guy. But I thought Thurman Thomas kind of defined that, the ability to put a team on your back. I mean, as you know well, he got a big deal for that time, right?

The whole Emmitt Smith holdout, I think, was compared to him comparing himself to Thurman Thomas and what he got. So I think guys like that, man, it was just so different. I mean, Jerome Bettis got a bunch of money in the NFL. And, like, you look back and you're like, the things they had to do to put Jerome Bettis in a position. Jerome Bettis is a Hall of Famer.

I'm not taking anything away from him. But as he aged, you know, he became a different kind of player. But it was just so different and unique, man. But Thurman Thomas is obviously guys like that. I was a Dorsey Levens guy, the Packers. I mean, that was a guy who, you know, I loved to watch him play. But, you know, even then then you still have to be special but it was also culturally we crave that you wanted to see the running back for running back got 150 yards in

a game i didn't care if he had 75 carries man i just wanted to see that final talent say 150 or whatever it was i mean there was sort of like a celebration of it that no longer exists. I would say right now it's just hard to identify anyone. Aaron Jones, you know, Green Bay, I mean, I think they've given him – I think he signed a deal recently. I could be wrong. But to me, the Melvin Gordon-Austin Eckler situation highlights what's coming for everybody.

Melvin Gordon sits out. Melvin Gordon assumes he's got all the power and that, you know, he's going to get franchise tagged. I wouldn't say he was going to make $11, $12 million with the franchise tag. He says, no, I'm holding out. And then the Chargers are like, all right, we'll just go with Austin Eckler because the year before we did it without you.

We have no problem doing it again. And then they get rid of Melvin Gordon. Like nothing worked out for Melvin Gordon because it is hard to replace the great running backs in this league. But it's not so much different from a quarterback or even a great receiver. I don't think teams fear losing great running backs, and I don't know that they should. I don't think the Vikings are worried right now,

whereas I think a decade ago, especially 20 years ago, if Dalvin Cook were in the same position, oh man, there'd be such a buzz about, you got to do everything possible to keep him. Have you heard that, Kyler? I mean, have you heard sort of this, you know, elevated, oh my goodness, what are we going to do without him? I haven't heard that. No, I haven't. And I think that a lot of Vikings fans are saying, yeah, if you lose him, you lose him. You can replace him. And that's even with him being, I put him in the top three or top four most talented players at the position.

And 15 years ago, 20 years ago, there's no way anyone would have been saying, oh, yeah, you can lose him. It sort of like reminds me of the NBA with big men, where it was all about big men at one time. And now there are very, very few. And you can still look back and say, man, you know, some of those guys, David Robinson, how great was that guy? But know that he, if he was playing today, he would not be the same type of guy. They would not be dumping it into the post and letting him go back to the basket. Although, you know, somebody like Hakeem probably would have been unbelievable in today's game, shooting like a breeze and stuff like that. So some guys would

have been different. But the running back position, the way it's played, there are so many more guys that are like Marshall Falk or like LaDainian Tomlinson who came to mind for me right away. Thurman Thomas, obviously one of my favorite players of all time, and someone who could actually go down the field. There are very few running backs ever who can run go routes and catch touchdowns and if anybody wants to watch an awesome classic game the i think it's the wild card game in 89 between the browns and the bills and i think thurman catches like 13 passes that's the over the shoulder catch the big over the shoulder catch i mean he had some phenomenal, like, all-pro receiver catches. Yes, yes.

He was the original. I mean, he was way ahead of his time when it came to stuff like that. And then, you know, the next wave comes behind him with your, you know, with your Marshall Falks and with your LaDainian Thomases. But there are some guys that you think of that you just absolutely loved. And, of course, you know, the bust goes into this category. Maybe like Fred Taylor of guys who were one-dimensional running backs that you will you just will not apologize for it Curtis Martin was not a downfield wide receiver he was a handed off and when you were

watching Curtis Martin you thought this is one of the best players in the NFL look at this guy look at him breaking tackles the guy's a monster yeah today we'd be like, Curtis Martin, don't pay that guy. Although the Patriots initially did not pay him because he had a couple of injuries and they let him go to the Jets, I think was how it went, right? So, you know, maybe they were ahead of their time in that. But the one-dimensional running back, it just is not a position that's going to get you paid. And that's Delvin's best argument, I think, is for him to say, look, you didn't use me like Christian McCaffrey, but you can.

So, you know, you can't use Alexander Madison as an outside wide receiver. And occasionally at Florida State, they used to do that with Delvin Cook. And if they said, we are going to reimagine his role a little bit here, and he's going to do a lot more of that stuff, then I would say, yeah, it's worth it. And I've always thought, if you can afford it, then it's worth it. Like, this doesn't happen in a bubble. It doesn't happen with – and that's what I don't like about broad statements about anything. I'll give you an example.

Like, baseball guys hate bunting. But, hey, you're in the World Series in the 11th inning, and you could bunt that guy from second to third with nobody else and score on a sack fly. Like, that might be a good idea actually um so there are always different circumstances that matter with with those broad things and with this one it's really simple they can afford it like you're buying think about this my honda civic is a great car gets me where i need to go gas mileage i will uh have advertisements on this podcast for my Honda Civic if you want. If I buy a car that's twice as expensive, it's not twice as good as my Honda Civic.

But I might just want it because the Purple Insider podcast is doing so well. I can afford it, so I'm just going to buy it, you know, even if it's not the most savvy economic thing. I think that's where the Vikings ultimately come out on this is, you know what? We know that there's a reason to not do this analytically, but we want it because the guy's good at football. And that's what it might ultimately come down to.

But you're right about this, this kind of almost feeling like the last frontier with those other running back contracts going, going busts with Freeman and with Gurley that if Delvin can't get himself paid and ends up another holdout and it doesn't work out well for him, I mean, this is going to be tough for everyone at the running back position if Delvin Cook can't get paid. Yeah, and now the new CBA, you know, puts him in a bad spot too if he sits out and becomes a restricted free agent, then he has no power. So I can see a world where the Vikings say, okay, reimagine Rome. They go, all right, 12, 13 million, which is a lot of money for a running back, period.

But then if I'm the Vikings, I've got this card I've got to hold up to Dalvin Cook as representation and say, durability, injury history, you are amazing when you're available. The problem is you're not always available. It would be hard for me to pay a guy that kind of money, knowing that there's a good chance that we see him at most considering the history three-fourths of the games

ahead on this contract. He's played about two-thirds, right? At this point. So if I'm getting three out of four games from a guy I'm giving $13 million to that's a risk on my part. Because, sure, if that game is against the Lions and we're holding you out as

sort of a precautionary measure, you know, with a longer season potentially, that's one thing. But if we're playing Seattle with a chance to advance in the playoffs, if we're playing Green Bay on the road and we need this game to win the division, and that's our real, only real chance to get to the playoffs, I need you, man. And the Vikings have not been able to say throughout Diamond Cooke's career, and I understand injuries are out of your control.

I mean, you're tearing ACL. I mean, these are things you would never want to happen. But they can certainly say that when they needed him, he hasn't always been available. Whereas the one thing, if we want to knock Kirk Cousins, for the money he's received, the one thing that people don't highlight, myself included, the guy doesn't miss games.

I mean, the guy has been there. You know, when you need him, he's been consistent. Dalvin Cook, we can't say that about. So how does that factor into all of this? Before we get back to the conversation, I want to remind you that there is no shortage of action going on right now at our exclusive partners at betonline.ag. Sports are slowly making their way back and BetOnline is leading the way with the best odds and lines for all UFC, NASCAR, boxing, and soccer matches. And if you need more, they have simulated NFL, NBA, and UFC simulations all day, every day, live on their website. Looking for something else other than sports? BetOnline has hundreds of casino games, poker tournaments, and prop bets to

check out. Visit BetOnline.ag. Use the promo code BLUEWIRE for a free welcome bonus. That's one word, BLUEWIRE. BetOnline, your online wagering experts. And there's another part that says, too, with Delvin Cook, if they're going to give you $8 million a year, publicly people might say, well, you didn't get your deal, but you'll also have $8 million.

And that's a lot. I mean, it's a lot of money. You can do a lot with $8 million a year. And if it's sort of one of those contracts where you get paid as you play, as you go along, which most NFL contracts are outside of a handful of, you know, mega bucks type of players. But if that's what it ends up being, I mean, if you negotiate a contract that isn't super favorable for you,

and then you run for 2000 yards or something, which with Zimmer as your coach, then it's, you know, it's always possible. Then you redo it, you know, or something like that. Adam Thielen negotiated a contract as a restricted free agent. And then the next year he catches, I don't know, a hundred passes. And they just said, all right, let's just rework that. You know, you're probably worth more than that. You proved it. So there you go. Or, I mean, if he signs even a two-year contract extension that had high guarantees or something like that, there's many options here where Delvin Cook's side, I think, is just going to have to bend a little bit because of how much negotiating power.

So make sure that the guy gets a lot of cash, even if the AAV doesn't look all that impressive. Oh, well, it's only $8 million a year. Right. But 20 of it is guaranteed. So you have $20 million in your pocket. You know, so it will be very, very interesting over the next month. And I have to see how this negotiation plays out because I don't think that if you're his side, I don't think you can let it get into that training camp because of how the CBA played out. But let's say that they do.

Let's say that Delvin's side is like, you know what, trade me. And they do. And they trade him to, I don't know, Jacksonville or something. Jacksonville is always the place where you'd go, like, just send him over there. But what do you think a better use of that money would be? Like for Delvin Cook over the next three or four years, let's project it at $10 million or $12 million a year

over the next three years on the salary cap. If they were to move on from him, what would you do with it? Right away with the space that they still have that they left open for Delvin Cook, and then going forward, what would be the best use of it? If you could identify an elite receiver, you know, or you could throw into the mix, I think that's something you would have to consider. I mean, my guess is they would think offensive line.

My guess is they would think up front. There's a piece you could add. That's a lot of money, man. That's a chance to add an elite talent that could really, like, change the makeup of your team. But I would think if you could – whatever you can do to help Kirk Cousins and you can give him another elite target I just don't think

I don't know if you would get your value at that price in the market right now so that's where I would start but I would probably end up with offensive line and seeing if I could use that to add a really really elite player that could really change our team.

I always talk about the Colts, man, and just what they were able to do and how they completely reconfigured their offensive line and Andrew Luck's turned out to be his last season. But the year before, when Andrew Luck is hurt, I mean, they're just – they were terrible. They were arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL, and they become perhaps the best. So you see the difference in the dynamic.

Andrew Luck has one of his best seasons that year in 2018. So I think that's where they would end up. But, man, if there were an elite receiver available that you could toss in to replace Diggs, with the money you've invested in Kirk Cousins, what you're saying is we're going after it? Playmakers, man. But that's probably why I'm out of GM because I'm always thinking playmakers and smart people in the NFL understand that you've got to create opportunities

for those playmakers first, and a lot of that starts with what happens up front. I think that, for me, I trade for somebody that another team thinks is too expensive or that they can't afford or it doesn't match up with their timeline. Odell Beckham? Yeah, that was the first name that came to mind. But even, I mean, Elshon Jeffrey, I know trading with the Eagles the last time, you know. It worked out.

What happened? Yeah, I don't know. I just have to go through maybe the wiki on that one to figure out exactly how that played out. But, I mean, you know, somebody like Elshon Jeffrey is past his prime. He's too expensive. They want to get rid of him. Like, okay, well, if you've got extra cap space,

and there will be other players who come up after a year. Because right now you can't exactly do that. You still have to sign your rookie class. And I would use it on just filling out an average players. Because the one thing we always forget about the NFL is how important average players are. Trey Wayans was really important to the Vikings. Was he great?

No. But he was hugely important of not being bad because we saw last year when Xavier Rhodes was bad, what did teams do? They just threw at him over and over and over and over. And when you have no bad players on your defense, which the Vikings could say, when Terrence Newman is in the slot, is he an elite slot receiver or slot corner? Like, no, but he was average or a little above average at that position and that's great for you because it's not a weakness and so for right now it would be the larry warford or the you know whoever to try and fill out the roster you know somebody who

is a proven veteran cornerback bring them in and try to make sure that you're shoring up weaknesses that's what you use it for now. And then next year you look, all right, who's looking to dump a really good player because they're overpaid? Now we can get them, whether it's your offensive lineman, whether it's your Odell Beckham, you know, whoever it might be, a pass rusher if it doesn't work out with the Fadi Adenabo. That's the other thing that the Vikings have to consider here is it's pretty attractive to have an extra $10 million to just kind of go Christmas shopping with. So, Myron, this was very fun. Yeah, man.

And one of the reasons I get you on is because all of your predictions just come right all the time. So people can expect that going forward. I try to help when I can. All right. so people can expect that going forward I try to help when I can alright well I appreciate your time as always and we will talk to you all again soon here on Purple Insider