ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dalvin Cook's career year came at just the right time.
After two campaigns that included a smattering of injuries, Cook appeared in 14 contests in 2019 and posted his best stats of his young NFL career, rushing for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns. His production powered Minnesota's play-action passing attack with Kirk Cousins and helped the Vikings return to the playoffs after falling short in 2018.
Entering the final year of his deal, Cook appears poised to cash in. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Jan. 11 Cook and the Vikings are likely to discuss an extension.
After Wednesday's Pro Bowl practice, Cook sounded as if he's ready to strike a deal.
"I love the organization. They took a chance on me in bringing me in," Cook told NFL.com. "If a person believes in me, I'll give them my all. I try to do everything, give them my all and I'm just happy that I'm at the Vikings. It's a great organization. I think everything we've got going on is for the future."
The risk has paid off, and the Vikings appear to have the feature back needed for their offense for years to come. If 2019 is any indicator, Minnesota should remain a contender during Cook's next contract.
"It was a good season," Cook said of the 2019 campaign. "Obviously it wasn't the ending that we wanted but I think it's a lot we could get accomplished and that playoff game (Minnesota's wild-card win over New Orleans) is a game we can remember and piggy-back off of it."
The 2019 season was Cook's healthiest campaign, but he still had to battle through a shoulder injury that cost him two late-season games. Now that he's had time to rest and recover following Minnesota's Divisional Round elimination, he's ready to begin his offseason program at full strength, an encouraging sign for an organization looking to lock him up long-term.
"I'm good. I'm good to go," Cook said of the shoulder ailment. "It was tough, it's always tough battling injuries and going through stuff like that but it's all about perseverance and fighting back. That's my mindset."
With a full offseason to get a deal done, we can expect to hear more about Cook's future with the Vikings in the months ahead.
