Dalvin Cook has been signed by the New York Jets on August 14th on a one-year deal worth up to $8.6 million to improve the Jets’ playoff hopes. The Minnesota Vikings released Cook after four straight Pro Bowl seasons, which is when the Jets saw their opportunity to add the 28-year-old Running Back to their team. Cook took a $35 million pay cut when signing with the Jets. He made this decision because during his time in Minnesota, he was paid lots of money and surrounded by great players, but they could never make it far in the playoffs. So, in New York, Cook hopes he can accomplish one of the many things he hasn’t accomplished in his career: win a playoff game. Cook is now paired up with 10-time pro-bowler 39-year-old Aaron Rodgers who was also recently acquired by the Jets in the offseason.

In addition to the pay cut, another downside to this deal for Dalvin Cook is that he is expected to be the backup Running Back to 2nd-year Breece Hall. Hall had high hopes in his rookie season until he tore his ACL on October 23rd in a regular season game against the Broncos. Tearing your ACL is a significant injury that takes at least a whole year to recover from, so Breece Hall might get limited touches in their first game. Since Hall is coming off of this injury it creates an opportunity for Cook to step in as the Jets’ #1 running back. When Dalvin Cook was on the Vikings he was rivals with his new quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but now he couldn’t be more excited to play with him. He said this about playing with Aaron Rodgers, “Aaron is Aaron. If you don’t want to be part of something like that, I don’t know what you want in football.”

Soon, Cook will be making his debut with New York, and it is going to be especially exciting seeing him play against the Buffalo Bills because he is playing against his 23-year-old brother James Cook who also plays at the running back position. So, we will soon see brother vs. brother and Dalvin Cook’s debut with the Jets on Monday Night Football.