"All signs point" to the Minnesota Vikings parting ways with running back Dalvin Cook according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was noncommittal on Cook's future with the team a few weeks before the draft and there have been trade and cut rumors surrounding Cook throughout the offseason. If the Vikings were going to trade him, there is a good chance it would have happened prior to the draft. Now they may simply choose to cut him. If the release happens after June 1st, Minnesota will save $9 million against the cap with an $8.2 million dead cap hit spread out over the 2023 and 2024 seasons. 

The issue is not performance, as Cook produced more than 1400 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns in 2022 and played a full season for the first time in his six-year NFL career,  But his 4.4 yards-per-carry average was the lowesr of his career, he turns 28 in August, is coming off off-season shoulder surgery, and frankly makes too much money in an era that devalues the running back position.

 The team brought Alexander Mattison back in free agency and drafted UAB running back DeWayne McBride in the seventh round. Mattison would get the first crack at the starting gig and would immediately vault into high-end RB2 territory if Cook is released.