With Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline just around the corner, New York Jets running back Dalvin Cook has voiced his frustrations regarding his diminished role in the team’s offense.
Cook signed a 1 year $7M contract in August to join the Jets after being released from the Vikings in the offseason. Many assumed that he would serve a complimentary role to 22 year old Breece Hall, who was coming off a major injury.
However, Hall has bounced back quicker than expected, making Cook the odd man out on offense over the last few weeks. Prior to the team’s bye week, the 4x Pro Bowler saw only 3 carries for 12 yards in his team’s 20-14 win over Philadelphia.
Cook has rushed for over 1,100 yards and at least 6 TDs in each of the past 4 seasons, but currently sits well shy of those figures with 39 rushing attempts for 109 yards and no scores through 6 games. That low usage has resulted in the 28 year old requesting a sit down with his agent and Jets GM Joe Douglas to discuss his role moving forward.
When pressed as to whether or not he’s asking for a trade, Cook stopped short of confirming the matter, instead saying he just wants what’s “best for everybody”.
“Of course it’s frustrating,” Cook said. “I’m an honest person, man. I work. I want to play. That’s just anyway. And, yeah, it’s frustrating. It’s new for me. I come from getting the ball 20 times a game, or however many times. Of course it’s frustrating. It’s something that I’ve been adapting to.”
If push comes to shove and Cook does indeed want out of New York, a deal may not be as easy to facilitate as he would have hoped. Following an offseason where the value of running backs was a much discussed topic, Cook inked what he believed was a prove it contract with the Jets for $7M. That means that any team acquiring the former Florida State standout would be on the hook for roughly $3.3M for the remainder of the season. A price tag that may scare off suitors given Cook’s underwhelming production thus far in his limited role.
It also doesn’t help that many of the teams who have been inquiring about running backs over the past few weeks, such as the Bills, Chiefs, Steelers, and Browns, are also teams that New York is attempting to pass in the standings at the moment in a jam packed AFC playoff race.
Should Cook ultimately be moved prior to October 31st, it’s unlikely that New York will reap much of a return for the veteran running back. Something akin to the Chase Claypool deal to Miami (Claypool + a 7th rounder for a 6th rounder) may be all the club is able to recoup. That means that GM Joe Douglas will need to weigh whether it’s worth the risk of diminishing his RB depth, for a late round pick swap.
The Jets are next in action on Sunday vs. the Giants in an all New York showdown at MetLife Stadium.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Andrew NYR. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.