Dalvin Cook breaks silence on reports of possible suspension stemming from alleged domestic violence incident

Dalvin Cook has been dealing with a legal situation during the 2023 NFL offseason after being accused of involvement in a domestic violence case. His case is still pending, so the legal outcome is completely unknown at this point. This puts his availability for the 2023 NFL season in potential jeopardy as more details of the alleged situation unfold.

Making things even more complicated for Dalvin Cook is the fact that the legal outcome of this case will not directly correlate to whether or not he receives a suspension. There have been plenty of past examples of players being found not guilty in a case but still being suspended anyway through violation of the league's personal conduct policy.

NFL reporter Connor Hughes of SNY recently asked Cook if he's worried about a potential suspension, to which he responded with this simple answer:

“None whatsoever.”

While Cook apparently seems confident that he will avoid suspension during the 2023 NFL season, his new team, the New York Jets, might be a bit more concerned by the situation. Despite him recently joining the team as a free agent after being released by the Minnesota Vikings, the Jets structured his new contract with several insurances in case he is suspended at some point this year.

Dalvin Cook's new contract with Jets includes possible suspension insurance

Dalvin Cook

The New York Jets recently signed Dalvin Cook to join their new-look offense led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Considering their young star running back Breece Hall is still recovering from a major ACL injury, adding Cook makes sense. He brings insurance to their backfield after four consecutive seasons eclipsing 250 touches and 1,350 yards for the Vikings.

While Cook provides insurance for the Jets, the franchise also built insurance for themselves into his new contract. His one-year deal is extremely team-friendly and appears to account for the possibility of him receiving a potential suspension for his alleged involvement in a domestic violence case.

Cook's contract carries no signing bonus and only includes $1.08 million in base salary, paid out at around $60,000 per week. He will then receive up to a total of $1.2 million, divided into 17 payments of just above $70,500 for each game he appears on the active roster. This means if he misses any games due to a suspension, he will not receive his check for that specific game.

The remaining $4.72 million on his contract is guaranteed, but only if he makes their final roster for the 2023 NFL season. This is also paid out in per-game installments, totaling nearly $278,000 per week. He will not receive that check either if he misses any games due to suspension. When added all together, the Jets will save themselves more than $348,000 for each game Cook is potentially suspended.