Vikings' Dalvin Cook Says He Never Considered Holding Out Amid Contract Talks

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook said Friday at training camp he never considered holding out despite the fact that he's entering the final year of his contract in 2020.

According to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune, Cook said he "loves" playing in Minnesota and said talk of a holdout "was never coming from me."

Cook added: "I was going to be here, regardless of the speculations that came up about me not coming."

The 25-year-old Cook is coming off a career year, as he finished with 1,135 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in 2019, plus 53 receptions for 519 yards.

Last season was a much-needed breakout for Cook since the 2017 second-round pick struggled with injuries in his first two NFL campaigns. Cook missed a combined 17 games in 2017 and 2018, and if not for the Pro Bowl numbers he put up in 2019, an extension likely wouldn't be in the cards.

There is inherent risk that comes along with signing a running back to a big-money, long-term contract, as the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals learned with Todd Gurley and David Johnson, respectively, in recent years.

Cook's injury history makes him even riskier than most backs as well, but Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said last week that he is "working extremely hard" to get Cook "locked up" with an extension.

Cook was a huge part of the Minnesota offense last season, and with the Vikings trading wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills this offseason, he could have an even heavier workload.

The Vikings do have some talented running backs behind Cook on the depth chart in 2019 third-round pick Alexander Mattison and Michael Boone, but neither of them have put together the type of season that Cook did last year en route to the Pro Bowl.

If Cook and the Vikings don't reach a deal before the start of the 2020 season, it will be of the utmost importance for Cook to stay healthy and produce in order to land a big deal either from the Vikings or from another team in free agency.

Cook could drive his price up with a great year or miss his chance for an extension with a poor one, though, which is why there is plenty of incentive for both sides to agree to a contract within the next month.