Jets to sign Dalvin Cook as Colts name Anthony Richardson as starting QB

Former Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Jets on Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

NFL Network and ESPN first reported the deal is worth up to $8.6m.

Cook, who turned 28 last week, has run for at least 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons but was released by the Vikings on 8 June for salary cap savings. He was scheduled to count more than $14.1m against the Vikings’ salary cap.

After a few weeks of speculation about where he’d sign, Cook joins a revamped Jets offense led by Rodgers and coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and includes wide receiver Garrett Wilson, last season’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Cook’s arrival is another sign New York is going all-in to not only end the NFL’s longest postseason drought at 12 seasons, but to go deep into the playoffs. The Jets’ running game was further boosted on Tuesday when they activated Breece Hall from the physically unable to perform list. The second-year player was brilliant in his rookie year until he suffered an ACL injury in Week 7 and missed the rest of the season.

The Jets also have Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight, Damarea Crockett, fifth-round draft pick Israel Abanikanda and undrafted free agent Travis Dye at running back.

Elsewhere in the AFC East, three-time Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott has signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots worth $4m, a person familiar with the terms told the Associated Press.

The 28-year-old Elliott ran for 68 touchdowns and more than 8,000 yards in seven years with the Dallas Cowboys. He led the NFL in rushing yards in 2016, when he was the runner-up for the AP Rookie of the Year award, and again in 2018. Elliott’s yards per game have gone down every season of his career, a trend that partly reflects the decreased usage of running backs in the NFL since the Cowboys used the No 4 overall draft pick to select him in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts have named rookie Anthony Richardson as their starting quarterback for the start of the new season.

Richardson was the No 4 overall pick in this year’s draft and his known for his ability as both a runner and passer. He threw an interception in his Colts debut, a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills last week, but Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said he and his staff were to blame. “We’ve got to do a better job communicating on that one,” said Steichen.