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Could Dalvin Cook be the newest New York Jet?
The former Minnesota Vikings running back is on his way to Florham Park to visit the New York Jets training facility. The belief around the league is Gang Green will sign him before the weekend is over.
Multiple league insiders I’ve spoken with point to a variety of factors as to why they believe the Jets won’t allow Cook to leave the facility before signing him to a contract. The primary reason is the injury Breece Hall suffered last year.
The 36th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft was off to a sensational start to his rookie season before tearing his ACL and injuring his meniscus during the Week 7 contest against the Denver Broncos. The Jets offense precipitously dropped off after Hall went down with the injury and quarterback Zach Wilson struggled the rest of the season.
Exploring Jets running back depth: Could Dalvin Cook disrupt Breece Hall's development?
Last week, the Jets placed Hall on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list as he continues to rehab the injury.
There is great hesitancy within the organization to rush Hall back on the field and signing Cook not only buys time for Hall, but gives the offense another terrific ball carrier. Michael Carter sits behind Hall on the depth chart and while he's a very good running back in his own right, Carter is more of a situational/rotation back rather than a feature runner.
The other major reason people feel the Jets will have Cook in hand by the end of the weekend is the announcement yesterday the team had reworked the contract of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The franchise was well under the cap before the start of camp but the reworked deal, which saw the quarterback take a pay cut of almost $35 million, is a sure sign around the league the Jets will open the checkbook to add more talent.
As one source told me, “If Cook’s demands are reasonable, I expect him to be a New York Jet very soon.”
