On Friday, the Minnesota Vikings officially released their four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook. The move freed up $9 million in cap space for Minnesota while also allowing Cook to join any team he wants.
From early on in the offseason, reports from Darren Wolfson of KTSP came out that Cook would be unwilling to take a pay cut, causing many to assert that the Vikings decision would ultimately be to move on from the running back. This assertion was further backed up by the fact that Alexander Mattison re-signed with the Vikings on a two-year contract.