Dalvin Cook is tired of trying to beat Aaron Rodgers.
That is part of the reason he is now playing with Rodgers.
“Being on the other side of that for the last six years, I couldn’t be on the other side no more,” Cook said Thursday in his first meeting with the media since signing with the Jets officially on Wednesday. “It was just like, I’ve got the chance to go join him and help him win again. That was a big thing to come over here.”
Cook signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Jets to join the Rodgers Express.
After spending years with the Vikings competing against Rodgers, Cook is happy to be on the same side as the MVP quarterback.
Cook, 28, did some light work on the side of practice on Thursday and watched the Jets practice in his new No. 33 jersey.
He will have another workout Friday before going home to Florida for the birth of his child.
He said he expects to practice with the Jets next week.
Rodgers, 39, and Cook chatted throughout the process of him picking a team, but Cook said Rodgers did not have to give him much of a pitch.
“He don’t got to recruit. His game recruits itself,” Cook said. “Aaron is Aaron. If you don’t want to be a part of something like that, I don’t know what you want in football. He really didn’t have to recruit me. I just wanted to make the best decision for my family.”
The Jets now have a strong 1-2 punch at running back with Cook and Breece Hall, who participated in team drills in practice Thursday for the first time since his ACL injury last October.
Cook said he is not concerned about what his role will be.
“Just be Dalvin. Just be me,” Cook said. “My number gets called, go be explosive. I’m the older guy in the room to share the knowledge. I’ve got a lot of experience in this game. Every little thing I could drop on those guys that I can help them just be successful in this league, I’m just going to give it to them.”
Cook said he believes the running back room “could be something special.”
The Jets signed Cook two weeks after he visited the team.
That visit, which included a practice with fans in attendance, helped convince Cook that he wanted to join the Jets.
“I think collectively when I came on my visit I think I pretty much seen everything I needed to see,” Cook said. “It was good vibes with the coaches, the players, everybody around the building. Obviously, when you dig deep and look into the roster, I think all the pieces are put together. I think I can come help these guys.”
The Jets have their sights set on a Super Bowl title and Cook wants the same thing.
“It’s a small window for that in this league,” Cook said. “Me, being in Year 7, I kind of know that getting to playoff games and losing, getting to championship games and losing, you’ve kind of got that small window of figuring things out of winning. I wouldn’t say I could be a missing piece but I know I can help a team win. On the football field, I know what I could bring to the team. That’s what I’m here to do. I’m just here to be Dalvin Cook and be explosive and be a great teammate.”
There has been speculation that Cook could get suspended by the NFL with a pending domestic violence lawsuit against him.
Asked if he has any concern about being suspended, though, Cook said: “None whatsoever.”
