Zulgad’s four-and-out: Alexander Mattison on silencing critics, taking over top role and running back pay
Alexander Mattison spent his first four training camps as a Minnesota Viking knowing he would be a backup. Or at least that’s how it seemed. Starter Dalvin Cook, however, told Mattison not to think of it in those terms.
“I’ve been preparing like a starter, preparing that way since I got here,” Mattison said. “A lot of that credit goes to Dalvin telling me that, ‘You’re not a backup. You’re just in a situation where there are two starting running backs in the same backfield.'”
That is no longer the case.
The Vikings signed Mattison to a two-year, $7 million contract this offseason that stopped him from leaving as a free agent, and released Cook in June after six seasons in Minnesota. Mattison is now atop the depth chart ahead of Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu and DeWayne McBride.
Mattison talked about his role, his relationship with Cook and the fact that many top-tier running backs aren’t getting paid.
Mattison: "I definitely have a lot to prove people right and prove people wrong"
There are many Vikings fans who have expressed concern that the loss of Cook will have a negative impact on the offense. Cook rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of the past four years and also made the Pro Bowl each time.
Mattison, a third-round pick in 2019, has rushed for 1,670 yards in his career and had a career-high 134 carries and 491 yards in 2021 as Cook missed time because of injuries.
Mattison, 25, acknowledges he has plenty to show both his supporters and detractors.
“I think that I definitely have a lot to prove people right and prove people wrong, however, that may be,” he said.
Mattison spent much of the offseason dedicated not as much to the big picture issues of playing running back as he did the small things that can make a significant difference.
“Details, details,” he said, “there’s details within everything. Trying to be more consistent, be more confident in the skills that I’ve built. I’ve been playing this game since I was 6 years old, so believing in and trusting in the process that I’ve stuck to to get to this point.
“And then just continuing to add on different recovery methods, different studying methods, different practice methods. Small details to help out my overall game. I think I just saw areas of improvement throughout my entire game that this year was one of my points of emphasis. The details, that’s kind of the big word for me this offseason.”
Cook to Mattison: "One day they're not going to be able to have both of us"
The fact Cook is gone doesn’t surprise Mattison because the former told the latter that this day was coming. Cook, who remains unsigned and reportedly is set to visit the Jets, just wasn’t certain which one no longer would be wearing purple.
“He’s prepared me for this moment since I came in,” Mattison said. “Just telling me, ‘It’s going to be one of us. One day they’re not going to be able to have both of us.’ We had that mindset to be a backfield that was incapable of playing out our years together just because we held ourselves to that standard. It’s awesome to have nothing but love.
“Off the field, that’s my brother and that’s the type of environment that we have in that running back room. We all love each other and we all ride for each other. It definitely is awesome to have that type of person in my corner.”
Mattison FaceTimed with Cook a few days ago and the two frequently chat.
“It’s an exciting opportunity ahead of me,” Mattison said of moving to the top of the depth chart. “Definitely it’s a blessing. Try not to put too much pressure on it or too much thought into it. At the end of the day, one of the biggest things for me is to have fun. It definitely is an exciting time, but mostly because I’m out here with my brothers, out here with probably the number one locker room in the league with the amazing guys we have.”
The advantage of spending a season in Kevin O'Connell's system
The Vikings’ first training camp under Kevin O’Connell was spent installing a new offense that left everyone having to do plenty of thinking and not enough reacting.
That’s no longer the case entering the second season under the head coach and Mattison said that has proven to be an advantage as his role grows.
“You’re able to be comfortable and have that confidence within the system,” said Mattison, who only caught 15 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown in 2022 after a career-high 32 receptions for 228 yards and a TD the previous season. “I can make routes my own, I can make certain reads. I can play with them because I know where a block is supposed to be so I can add a little extra. Things like that that you get to do year two in a system that you couldn’t do year one without that certain confidence.
“It definitely is one of those things where I’m feeling a lot more confident in this system and we have that chemistry within the whole offense as well. Trusting in one another within this system.”
Mattison on running backs being undervalued: "We've got to play the hand we're dealt"
While Mattison is excited to have a new contract, he also knows he plays as a position that has become the center of much discussion because of the fact many teams don’t seem to value running backs.
Not only was Cook released in large part because the Vikings didn’t want to pay him a base salary of $10.4 million, but veterans Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette remain free agents and the Giants’ Saquon Barkley, the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs and the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard all were looking for long-term deals this offseason but did not get them.
All received the franchise tag, although Barkley did sign an adjusted one-year deal for $10.1 million with close to an additional $1 million in available incentives, according to ESPN. The contract also included a $2 million up-front signing bonus. But players want long-term security and running backs aren’t getting it.
Several backs have gone as far as having a Zoom call to discuss the situation about their contracts and lack of security.
“All I can control is how much effort and hard work I put in to continue to get one percent better each day and be the best player that I can be for myself and for my team,” Mattison said of the situation. “It definitely is a feeling of unfairness as far as it goes.
“But there’s a business side of things and the way things are set up, the way things are going with the league right now, we’ve got to play the hand we’re dealt. It might not be the best one, it might not be a fair one, but I’m blessed to be living out my dream right now. That’s how I kind of I take it.”
So if Mattison had it to do all over again would he have picked a different position?
“Probably not. I fell in love with the game because of the position I play,” he said. “I don’t know how good I would be at another position. Obviously, it would take years of practice and everything to get to where I am in another position. But I think everyone would go back and try and be a quarterback. It takes a lot to do that. It’s one of those things you can only control what you can control.”
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