Dalvin Cook, Jets part ways ahead of season finale

The Dalvin Cook Era is over and it wasn’t a memorable one.

The Jets are releasing the former Pro Bowl running back, according to Cook’s agent. Cook restructured his deal to forfeit his remaining guarantees. He will be able to sign with a contender if he clears waivers.

Cook signed a one-year deal with the Jets in August worth $5.8 million guaranteed. They didn’t get much for that as Cook had the least productive season of his seven-year career.

He carried the ball 67 times for 214 yards and no touchdowns in 15 games as a Jet. Cook was active but didn’t play in the Jets’ loss Thursday in Cleveland. He played just 15 snaps and had one carry for 4 yards in the previous two games.

“There’s obviously a business part to it, but Dalvin has been an unbelievable teammate,” Robert Saleh said Tuesday on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN NY Radio. “We really, really appreciate his time. I know it hasn’t gone nearly as well as anyone had hoped for, especially him. Just an opportunity for him to get out there and try to finish off the season strong.

“He’s done us well and been an unbelievable teammate even through all of this adversity. He’s been a great mentor to his teammates, he’s been a great sounding board for coaches, he’s been awesome and just appreciate everything he has done here.”

The Jets, who finish their season Sunday at New England, had high hopes that Cook, 28, would be an explosive playmaker for them and believed that he and Breece Hall would be one of the league's better one-two punches out of the backfield. That never materialized.

Losing Aaron Rodgers four offensive snaps into the season had a huge impact on everything the Jets did offensively. Many of the Jets’ free-agent signings that were done to make Rodgers comfortable and give him more weapons didn’t work out.

The Jets signed Allen Lazard, Rodgers’ former Green Bay teammate, to a four-year, $44 million contract. Lazard has only 23 catches for 311 yards and a touchdown and was a healthy scratch once. Randall Cobb, one of Rodgers’ closest friends and a former Pro Bowl receiver in Green Bay, has more inactives (six) than receptions (four) this season.

Other former Packers who didn’t perform well were quarterback Tim Boyle, who was released last month, and offensive tackle Billy Turner.

Cook was the most accomplished player of them all. He made the Pro Bowl the previous four seasons with the Vikings. Cook never rushed for fewer than 1,135 yards in that span and totaled 43 touchdowns.

His most productive game as a Jet came in Week 1 against Buffalo when he had 59 scrimmage yards on 16 touches.

It was expected that Cook would share the workload early with Hall, who was recovering from a torn ACL and started the season on a snap count. Cook didn’t show the burst he was known for with the Vikings, but he’s also the type of back that gets stronger with more touches. He had five or fewer touches nine times.

The Jets had a chance to trade Cook before the Oct. 31 deadline. Saleh said at the time, “Dalvin still has a role on this football team.” Over the next four weeks, Cook carried the ball nine times for 48 yards.

The whole season had been an adjustment for Cook. He knew that Hall would be the featured back, but he thought he would be used more.

“That’s their guy, Breece is going to get the ball,” Cook said in November. “I thought I was going to get more opportunities.”

Hall has 1,395 scrimmage yards on the season. He’s second among NFL running backs with 74 catches and leads with 597 receiving yards. Rookie Izzy Abanikanda has been the Jets’ No. 2 back the past few weeks.

Saleh credited Cook for helping Abanikanda during what has been a challenging season for the veteran back.

“You know when a player is hurting and I know he’s hurting,” Saleh said. “But his story is not over. He still has plenty of juice in his legs.”

Notes & quotes: The Jets released veteran offensive lineman Rodger Saffold from the practice squad.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.