The Facts: According to ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert, based on everything that we've seen, and what has gone unsaid, it's almost impossible to believe that Cook will remain on the 2023 roster at his current numbers. He'll either accept a significant pay cut, get traded or be released.

Diehards Line:As Seifert explained, from the outside, there were plenty of reasons to believe that Cook's six-year tenure with the Vikings would end this offseason. As he approached his 28th birthday, and having surpassed the 1,500-touch landmark in his career, Cook was due to count $14.1 million against the cap and earn $11 million in cash. But Cook's situation is complicated -- and that was before he decided in February to undergo surgery to repair a chronic shoulder issue. The net effect of that decision was to scuttle any plans the Vikings might have had to trade or release Cook before March 17, when his contact called for $2 million of his base salary to be guaranteed. But everything the Vikings have done since has followed the path of a team that isn't planning to have Cook on its roster this season. Most notably, they re-signed his backup, Alexander Mattison, to a two-year deal that fully guarantees him $6.35 million. That includes $2.75 million in 2024, making him the only player the Vikings have signed this spring to get full guarantees in a second year. ... For what it's worth, the Dolphins reached out to the Vikings on Cook, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, but nothing came of it. ... We'll continue to watch this situation closely.