Current NFL Status and Team
Dalvin Cook is not currently on an NFL roster as of the latest 2024 offseason transactions. He was released by the New York Jets in March 2024 after missing the entire 2023 season due to a torn ACL and MCL sustained in Week 1 of 2023. Cook, a former Minnesota Vikings star, has not appeared in a regular-season game since September 10, 2023, and remains a free agent with no signed contract for the 2024 season. His last NFL snap came during the Jets' Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills, where he recorded no carries and one reception for 11 yards ESPN player page.
The Jets chose not to retain Cook after placing him on injured reserve and later releasing him with an injury settlement. General manager Joe Douglas confirmed the move was based on roster flexibility and Cook's uncertain recovery timeline. Cook, who was in the second year of a four-year, $63 million contract extension signed in 2022, is now an unrestricted free agent. Any team interested in signing him would inherit a player with a $6.5 million cap hit in 2024 if he were on the roster, but no team has announced interest as of the latest NFL transaction logs NFL transactions page.
Injury History and Recovery Timeline
Cook suffered a catastrophic knee injury in the first series of the Jets' 2023 opener against the Buffalo Bills. The injury involved a torn anterior cruciate ligament, torn medial collateral ligament, and a bone bruise, requiring surgery and extensive rehabilitation. He was placed on injured reserve on September 12, 2023, and the Jets ruled him out for the entire 2023 season. NFL medical sources indicate that ACL recovery typically takes 9 to 12 months, placing Cook's potential return window in the 2024 offseason ACL recovery timeline.
Cook has not publicly provided a specific return-to-play date, and the Jets have not updated his status beyond the initial release. He participated in limited individual drills during the 2024 offseason program but has not been cleared for full team activities. The absence of a formal return-to-practice announcement suggests the recovery is ongoing and not yet complete. His last verified on-field activity was a light jog during a team walkthrough in April 2024, per team practice reports Jets injury update.
Career Stats, Earnings, and Legacy
Cook finished his six-year NFL career with 6,950 rushing yards and 46 rushing touchdowns across the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets. He ranks second in Vikings franchise history in rushing yards, behind Adrian Peterson, and led the NFL in rushing attempts in 2021 with 308 carries. Cook earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2022 and signed a contract extension worth up to $63 million with $35 million guaranteed in 2022. His average annual value of $15.75 million made him one of the highest-paid running backs in the league at the time of the deal OverTheCap contract details.
Cook's career earnings from NFL contracts total approximately $45 million in guaranteed money, with the 2022 extension accounting for the bulk of
