Patriots are exploring ‘really unique’ Dalvin Cook situation, team executive says
"This is a unique situation. And in any unique situation, I think everybody evaluates and looks at it."
It’s the final week of July, training camp has begun, and four-time Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook does not have a contract after being cut by the Minnesota Vikings in a cost-saving move last month.
That’s unusual, Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh said, and New England intends to take a close look at whether the running back is a fit for Foxborough.
“This is a really, really unique situation for both of these players,” Groh said of Cook and recently-signed Titans receiver DeAndre Hopkins. “You don’t typically have players of this caliber available at this time.
“The contracts that are signed for players right now are nowhere near in the neighborhood that these players are generally expected to sign,” Groh continued. “Usually, these are all minimum guys, so this is a unique situation. And in any unique situation, I think everybody evaluates and looks at it.”
Hopkins visited the Patriots in June, and even ate some clam chowder while he was in Boston. Groh said New England “spent time working” on a potential Hopkins deal, but he picked Tennessee instead, inking a two-year $26-million dollar deal.
“I know we were one of the teams mentioned that was most prevalent, but we exhausted our options and did what we thought made the most sense,” Groh said.
Cook is one of the players the Patriots are evaluating, Groh said. Last week, New England hosted a pair of running backs, Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson on visits, in hopes of potentially adding depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson.
But Cook would be different. He’s topped 1,000 yards for four years in a row. He had 1,557 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2020. Pairing him and Stevenson together could transform New England’s ground game.
He had two years left on his previous 5-year, $63 million contract before the Vikings cut him.
The Patriots have around $13 million in cap space according to Spotrac. There are only two running backs in the league (Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara) who have a cap hit higher than that.
“You can never have too many good players,” Groh said. “We worked out a couple running backs. We’ve worked out some different positions here. We’re going to continue to work out players just like every team in the league is doing. Exploring every possibility that we can to make this as strong a roster as possible.”
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