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When Dalvin Cook signed with the New York Jets prior to the 2023 season, it was clear that he had hopes of winning his first Super Bowl in a star-studded roster powered by Aaron Rodgers. But everything went south from the first game of the season, and the relationship is starting to sour.
Trade talks started to emerge during the New York Jets bye week, and Dalvin Cook was subject to them. After handpicking his destiny following his release from the Minnesota Vikings, the running back certainly wouldn't appreciate being moved to another place.
When asked by reporters following Thursday's practice, Cook shed light on his situation, stating that his performance is down because he can't get into a rhythm due to his lack of carries, and that he expected to feature more on the offense when he joined the Jets – also clarifying that he hasn't asked to be traded:
Why did the Vikings release Dalvin Cook?
The salary just wasn't matching his performance anymore, and Minnesota also had Alexander Mattison waiting in the wings, and when he was given a chance to play, he impressed. Dalvin Cook had one of the league's biggest salaries and the Vikings were short on salary cap, easing his way into the season.
The Minnesota Vikings were able to free up $9 million in cap space for the 2023 season, while they have to deal with penalties of $5 million in 2023 and $3 million in 2024.
As to why he chose the Jets, Cook spoke about hitting free agency for the first time before the season:
“I play Madden a lot and I do free agency… we bid on players and stuff like that, but going through this process in real life, we kind of feel like a video game. To me is funny. It’s like this is the next step in my life, I had a lot of people to reach out to me these past weeks, these past few months, just to reach out and see what I was thinking."
For the season, Dalvin Cook has 109 yards in 39 carries and no touchdowns for the New York Jets. He's averaging 6.5 carries per game.
