Dalvin Cook put the Vikings fanbase on notice when he said the unthinkable: He joined the Jets to play with Aaron Rodgers.
The Minnesota Vikings labeled Dalvin Cook as a cap casualty earlier this offseason, and now, Vikings fans may be labeling him as a traitor..
Cook's refusal to restructure his deal in Minnesota didn't sit well with some fans. His recent comments on Vikings mortal enemy Aaron Rodgers only widens the rift between Cook and the team he's played on for the last six years.
Cook, who signed with the New York Jets this past week, named one of the biggest selling points of his decision: the opportunity to play with Packers legend Aaron Rodgers.
The newly minted Jets running back told ESPN:
"He doesn't have to recruit; his game recruits itself. Aaron is Aaron. If you don't want to be part of something like that, I don't know what you want in football."
A few years from now, when the Vikings have won series after series against the Rodgers-less Packers, Cook's comments may not hurt anymore. But in 2023, the wound of seeing Cook play with a divisional rival may feel fresh for Vikings fans, who probably wish the veteran back signed anywhere else this offseason.
Dalvin Cook sinks dagger in Vikings fans' heart with praise of Aaron Rodgers
Cook saying "Aaron is Aaron" reads as a admiring compliment. The 2021 MVP's reputation stands on its own two legs. However, you wouldn't catch him saying the same thing for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. "Kirk is Kirk." What does that even mean? That Cousins is good at securing a certain degree of financial stability year after year?
With the Vikings stare down what could be Cousins' last year in purple, one may assume that their fans are feeling a bit jealous that Cook has upgraded his quarterback while the franchise downgrades theirs. Fifth-rounder Jaren Hall leading the Vikings into their sunset years is a distressing future, indeed.
After six years of playing against Rodgers in the NFC North, Cook just "couldn't be on the other side anymore" and joined forces with one of Minnesota's peskiest forms of torment in Rodgers; Rodgers and his Packers had won five the past eight meetings against the Vikings.
To rub salt in the wound, Rodgers complimented Cook back with a bit of flattery for his new running back: "Dalvin has got it done for a long time at a high level… I'd seen him first-hand a number of years in the North. Adding a great player to a football team is always a good thing."
Other things also factored into Cook's decision to sign with the Jets, like New York's win-now roster stuffed with offensive talent from top to bottom. Cook's and Rodgers' happy little Jets PDA session still has to got to make Vikings fans feel some type of way.
