Dalvin Cook, Vikings Agree to Reported 5-Year, $63M Contract Extension

A breakout season has landed Dalvin Cook a new deal after the running back agreed to a lucrative contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday. 

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, Cook's deal is worth $63 million over five years and includes more than $28 million guaranteed. 

The Vikings confirmed the agreement shortly after the news broke: 

Cook was heading into the final year of his rookie contract and was projected to have a $2.02 million cap hit in 2020, per Spotrac.

Rapoport first reported in January the player's agent was hoping to agree on a long-term extension to keep the running back in Minnesota. ESPN's Adam Schefter noted in June that Cook planned to hold out without a "reasonable" extension, but he later attended training camp with language in the league's new collective bargaining agreement possibly jeopardizing his free-agency status next season in the event of a holdout.

The 25-year-old is coming off what was easily his best season in the NFL, rushing for 1,135 yards in 2019 with 519 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns. His 1,654 yards from scrimmage not only ranked seventh-most in the league, but it was also more than he had in his first two seasons combined (1,364).

Minnesota rode this production to the playoffs, where the running back carried the offense to a first-round upset win over the New Orleans Saints with 130 total yards and two scores.

"I consider myself the best back in the game," Cook said in April, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. "The things I do coming out of the backfield, the things I do in between the tackles, I block, I pretty much do it all. I don't have to come off the field. I think some guys just don't do as much as I do, and I think that's why I'm today's (top) back."

Based on the latest contract, it's clear the Vikings plan to rely heavily on Cook going forward. The only question mark is his injury history.

The 2017 second-round pick played just 15 games in his first two seasons combined, with a torn ACL causing the largest absence. He has also been limited by hamstring problems, while a shoulder injury caused him to miss the final two games of the 2019 regular season.

Though injuries are difficult to predict, Cook's history creates a bigger concern when handing out a long-term deal with high guarantees.

It seems the Vikings are comfortable betting on the talented runner and keeping him on board as a focal point of the offense for the next few years.