USA TODAY Sports Weekly

Harris, Cook playing for big deals

- Jack White

Will Justin Jefferson replace Stefon Diggs?

This offseason, Minnesota lost its leading receiver from 2019 when the team traded away Stefon Diggs for draft picks. The Vikings drafted a wide receiver in the first round – LSU’s Jefferson – who could replace some of the production Diggs left behind.

Jefferson thrived in the slot for the Tigers, and Minnesota offensive coordinato­r Gary Kubiak said that he will play inside quite a bit for the team.

The Vikings still have their leading receiver from 2016-18, Adam Thielen. He saw a dropoff in his numbers last season after suffering a hamstring injury and playing in just 10 regularsea­son games. However, Thielen seemed to hit a stride toward the end of the season, and he had 129 receiving yards in a playoff game against the Saints.

Diggs had 1,130 receiving yards and six touchdown catches in 2019. If Thielen can stay healthy, he can help replace Diggs, but it’s going to likely take more than just Thielen.

Besides Thielen and Jefferson, Minnesota also has Bisi Johnson, Chad Beebe and free agency signee Tajae Sharpe, all of whom can be a by-committee answer to the Diggs problem. If Thielen stays on the field, Jefferson has a big rookie year and some wide receivers step into bigger roles than what they’re used to, the Vikings won’t drop off in the passing game.

Since at least some of those projection­s are speculativ­e, there will be some uncertaint­y at wide receiver heading into the 2020 season.

What is Anthony Harris’ long-term future?

The safety was franchiset­agged by the Vikings this offseason, so it will be interestin­g to see whether he and Minnesota work out a new deal down the road or if Harris isn’t in the longterm plan.

Harris is coming off a season where he had six intercepti­ons, tied for an NFL best. He also had 11 passes defended. Both his intercepti­on and pass deflection numbers were career bests. Harris went from nine starts in 2018 to starting 14 games in 2019.

However, the team already has safety Harrison Smith, who hasn’t missed a Pro Bowl since 2014. The Vikings also have a lot of veteran players who require large contracts.

What will the team do about Dalvin Cook?

The running back is coming off a season in which he rushed for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns,

both of which were career highs. Cook is quite the bargain for the Vikings, earning more than $1.7 million in 2019.

His contract runs out after the 2020 season, and the Vikings will have a decision to make: extend him and risk spending too much money on a running back, or let him walk and move on without a big part of the offense.

A lot of teams have learned the hard way when it comes to giving big extensions to running backs. The most recent example has been the Rams, who gave Todd Gurley a four-year, $60 million extension in 2018, only to cut him this offseason.

If Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey – who signed a four-year, $64 million extension recently – is any indication of the market for running backs, the Vikings will have to give Cook a lot of money.

Cook has had injury problems in the past, too. He has missed 19 games in three seasons with the Vikings. When he’s been healthy, though, he’s been good.

 ?? JOHN DAVID MERCER/USA TODAY SPORTS ?? Running back Dalvin Cook averaged 4.5 yards per carry in rushing for 1,135 yards and 13 TDs in games last season.
JOHN DAVID MERCER/USA TODAY SPORTS Running back Dalvin Cook averaged 4.5 yards per carry in rushing for 1,135 yards and 13 TDs in games last season.

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