Dalvin Cook Trade Rumors: Vikings RB May Be Cut Before Draft; 'All Options' on Table

The Minnesota Vikings are leaving "all options" open when it comes to star running back Dalvin Cook, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"I'm told all options are on the table here and that he could be released closer to the draft if things don't work out," Fowler said Saturday on SportsCenter. "They had talked to at least one team about a trade in the past closer to free agency, so he is certainly a name to watch."

Cook has three years remaining on his five-year, $63 million contract.

The 27-year-old is coming off his fourth straight Pro Bowl. He ran for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 39 passes for 295 yards and two scores.

While Cook continues to play at a high level, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was noncommittal about his long-term future in Minnesota:

Cook is due to have the third-highest salary cap hit ($14.1 million) for a running back in 2023. The Vikings also have the second-most money ($22.4) tied up in the position, per Spotrac.

Trading Cook would save the team $7.9 million, with $6.2 million on the books in dead money for 2023. Waiting until after June 1 to deal him would net even bigger savings ($11 million) while spreading the dead money equally across the next two years.

While Fowler indicated an outright release is possible, you'd think that's only a last resort for Minnesota.

The Carolina Panthers got four draft picks, including a 2023 second-rounder, from the San Francisco 49ers for Christian McCaffrey ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. Even assuming Cook's trade value is slightly lower since he's older and not as much of a receiving threat, the Vikings are still in a good position to get a good draft asset or two in a swap.

The draft gets underway on April 27, which leaves Adofo-Mensah with a little less than two weeks to find a worthwhile deal.