National Football League

Dalvin Cook 'not in a rush' to sign, 'kind of sad' over state of RB market

Published Jun. 14, 2023 1:47 p.m. ET

Less than a week after being released by the Minnesota Vikings, Dalvin Cook isn't rushing to find his next professional home.

The four-time Pro Bowl running back said he doesn't have a target date for a new team in an interview with the "Rich Eisen Show."

"Just trying to find that right situation, and I don't think it's a rush or anything," Cook said. "As far as me picking up plays and going to play football, that's the easy part of the game.

"But I think me feeling great, which I am, and me being in the right shape and stuff like that, that's going to be the best thing. But I'm not in a rush to sign with [anybody]. I'm just trying to find the right fit for me and my family."

Cook specifically mentioned that his shoulder "is feeling great" after undergoing surgery in February. He has dealt with numerous shoulder ailments dating back to his college career, including suffering a shoulder separation in Week 3 of last season.

Cook also outlined what would be "the right fit" for him.

"I want the value. I want somebody who values Dalvin Cook," Cook said. "I want somebody that wants me to be there and give me the ball. I just want to go into the right situation so I can go help somebody win. … You play good and they're going to pay you, that's what comes with it.

"I just want to go somewhere that feels like home to me. I want to go somewhere and help somebody win. Just go be me. Just go turn it loose."

Even though he was officially released by the Vikings on Friday, Cook said he heard from fellow players around the league prior to that about possibly joining their teams, comparing the situation to a video game.

"It's crazy, man," Cook said when asked about teams and players reaching out to him. "I play Madden a lot and I do free agency in the fantasy leagues, bid on players and stuff, but going through this process in real life kind of feels like a video game to me.

"It's an exciting step in my life and a lot of people have reached out to me this past week and past few months."

Cook declined to specify which players and teams have reached out to him. But some of the people he has spoken to this offseason are in a similar situation. Cook is the latest notable running back to either be shown the door (Ezekiel Elliott) or deal with a tough contract situation (Saquon Barkley) as teams around the league appear to be cutting down on running back spending this offseason.

"To me, honestly, it's kinda sad," Cook said about the contract situations many running backs around the league are facing. "You just named a bunch of great football players and at the running back position, I think people are overlooking this position. … You control the ground, the game is controlled.

"I think [it's] at a point where we don't know the certainty of the running back position. It's about the quarterback, but I think it starts and stops with the running back position and we've got to get back to that."

But even after the Vikings cut him following his fourth-straight 1,000-plus rushing yard season, Cook holds no animosity toward the team that drafted him in 2017.

"I've got nothing but a lot of love for Minnesota," Cook said. "They brought a kid in that didn't know what to expect and they embraced me."

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