The Minnesota Vikings have re-signed running back Alexander Mattison, the team announced on Thursday.
According to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, it’s a two-year deal worth $7 million that can get to $8 million with $6.35 million in guarantees.
In 2022, the 24-year-old Mattison rushed for 274 yards, posted a career-high five rushing touchdowns, and recorded his third game with 100-plus rushing yards.
Some have speculated that this move indicates that Minnesota could trade RB Dalvin Cook, who has a $14.1 million cap hit in 2023, but we’ll see how the Vikings will proceed going forward.
The five-year veteran has played in 59 career games (six starts) and recorded 404 rushes for 1,670 yards and 11 touchdowns. Additionally, he has caught 70 passes for 526 yards and three touchdowns.
He was originally drafted in the third round (102nd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.
The recipe for the Minnesota Vikings this season is running the ball with Dalvin Cook and playing big-time defense, and on Sunday against the Raiders, that recipe was on full display. Led by Dalvin Cook’s 110 rushing yards, the Vikings rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, as Minnesota trounced the Raiders 34-14 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“Yeah, there’s a commitment to running the ball from our coaches philosophically and the way they game plan and the way they call plays, so that’s first of all given us a chance,” Cousins said after the game. “We have a very special running back in Dalvin Cook. He’s shown that. So those are two big pieces. And then our offensive line is executing the plays.”
The Vikings have more rushing yards than passing yards this season, and on Sunday, Cook became the first running back in Minnesota’s history to rush for three straight one-hundred yard games, which makes Cook happy.
It’s great. Chuck [Foreman] has been through this organization, Adrian Peterson as well,” Cook said. “Those are some household names, and to just be mentioned along with those guys is great.”
The third-yard back is leading the NFL in rushing yards, and his running mate, Alexander Mattison, who ran for 58 yards and one touchdown on Sunday, is very impressed by what he has seen by Cook this season.
“He is amazing and explosive,” Mattison said. “His intensity and his energy are amazing, so he provides that big dose of energy that we need as a running back room, as an offense, so it’s amazing for him to get out there and get things rolling the ways he does. We then just try to carry the team.”
According to Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, what impresses him the most about Cook is his toughness.
“He doesn’t need a lot of space, because he’s really good at slithering through holes,” Zimmer said. “Maybe the most impressive thing with him is toughness in the tackles. He doesn’t ever want to go down, but he’s a physical runner with great speed and home run ability.”
Many expected Cook to have an outstanding season, and after three weeks, he is off to a tremendous start.
