New York Jets running back Dalvin Cook speaks to reporters at the team’s facility in Florham Park, N.J., on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. The former Minnesota Vikings star signed a one-year contract with the Jets on Aug. 16. (AP Photo/Dennis Waszak Jr.)
FLORHAM PARK — Dalvin Cook is four years older than his younger brother James, but age will go out the window Monday night when the two face off in a Week 1 showdown between the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
For the Cook family, this will be the second time the two running backs will meet on the playing field (Dalvin’s Vikings won an OT thriller in Buffalo last season) but won’t take away from the special moment that will be had.
“It’ll be fun. Just get to share the field with him for the second time and have this experience for our family. I tell him to enjoy it all the time. 15 years from now, that’ll be something we talk about,” Cook said Wednesday.
Thanks to Dalvin’s free agent decision, the two Cook brothers will be facing off twice this season now that the oldest brother signed a contract with the Jets. Dalvin’s Jets debut will come at an important time for Gang Green as well. Aaron Rodgers’ trade to the organization has shifted goals for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in over a decade.
Now with Cook in the fold, the Jets have one of the most complete offenses in football along with a great opportunity to end the Bills’ three-straight AFC East titles. A win against Buffalo wouldn’t guarantee a changing of the guard, but it would certainly show that the Jets are capable of beating any top contender in the conference.
With so much at stake for a Week 1 game, there won’t be any type of off-the-field jokes coming from the running backs.
“I talk to him (James) every day. It’s our routine,” Dalvin explained. “We don’t have a trash-talking relationship but when it comes down to the moment, we both want to win.”
It wasn’t always a guarantee that Cook would…
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