Dalvin Cook's deal with Jets frees up $2 million for Vikings

Dalvin Cook's gain is Minnesota's gain, too.

With Cook agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with a base value of $7 million, the Vikings will be able to close the books on Cook's contract.

Cook had $2 million in fully-guaranteed base salary for 2023, subject to offset. The contract with the Jets offsets the full amount of the salary the Vikings would have owed Cook.

So he could have opted not to accept any other offers, and retained the $2 million. He chose to play for an extra $5 million, with up to $1.6 million in incentives beyond that.

The Vikings plan to go forward with Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler leading the way. They reported have interest in Kareem Hunt, which would diversify their backfield — and which would likely result in all three costing less than Cook would have cost in 2023.