Dalvin Cook says he’s the best back in the league, and presumably wants to be paid like it. Or at least “reasonably” close.
But the league is changing in how it values the running back position, in part because of how (relatively) easy it seems to be able to find a quality back at any point in the draft, and also because second contracts for top running backs have proven to be anything but a bargain for the teams that made the deals. Todd Gurley, Le’veon Bell, Devonta Freeman and David Johnson are all cautionary tales.