Cook has played his entire career for the Vikings, who drafted him in the second round in 2017. Since entering the league, he has accumulated 5,993 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He has made the Pro Bowl the last four years while averaging at least 1,000 yards rushing each year.
Cook rushed for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns last season, helping the Vikings reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2019 season.
The decision to join the Jets concludes a summer of speculation for one of the NFL’s best running backs. Cook was released by the Vikings in June after the team was unable to find a trade partner for him. Cook agreed to a five-year, $63 million contract extension with the team in 2020, with only $2 million guaranteed in 2023. If he had remained on the roster, he would have counted for $14.1 million against the cap.
Cook has been linked to all four AFC East teams since his release. He stated weeks after leaving the Vikings that he would prefer to play for his hometown Miami Dolphins.
Cook will instead join the Jets and work with newly acquired quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Cook paid an official visit to the team last week.
month, and he should be a good fit in their backfield. Breece Hall is recovering from an ACL injury suffered late last season, but it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for Week 1. On the depth chart, Michael Carter is listed as the team’s second running back, despite having only 402 rushing yards and three touchdowns in his second season in the league.
Leave a Reply