Dalvin Cook was in Florham Park, N.J., Thursday as he officially became a member of the New York Jets. 

It’s been a long offseason for the running back, who was released by the Minnesota Vikings earlier as a cap casualty. 

But Cook finally chose a team after visiting with a few, one primed for a Super Bowl run. 

When asked by reporters why he chose the Jets, Cook said the team's new four-time MVP quarterback was a key reason. Rodgers and Cook had been NFC North rivals.

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"Being on the other side of that for the last six years, you know, I couldn't be on the other side no more," Cook explained. "I got the chance to go join them and help them win. … That was a big thing to come over here."

It's not a surprise the Jets and Cook connected when he was released from the Vikings. The Jets were pulling out all the stops, and GM Joe Douglas used his generous cap space to quickly revamp the offense, the Jets’ Achilles heel in 2022. 

New York went 7-10, and many argued the Jets may have broken their 12-year playoff drought with an upgrade a quarterback. Zach Wilson struggled and was benched. 

In addition to Rodgers and Cook, the Jets added wide receivers Mecole Hardman Jr., Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb for new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. 

The running backs room was already solid with Breece Hall looking to bounce back after tearing an ACL as a rookie. Michael Carter also provides a versatile pass catcher at the position. 

Cook brings four Pro Bowl selections to the Jets, which includes four straight seasons with over 1,100 yards rushing. With their solid depth chart, the Jets won’t have to overwork Cook, who got a deal worth up to $8.6 million. 

Pfizer Inc said on Thursday its updated COVID-19 shot, which is being tested against emerging variants, showed neutralizing activity against the "Eris" subvariant in a study conducted on mice.

Pfizer, along with its German partner BioNTech SE, as well as other COVID-19 vaccine makers Moderna and Novavax have created versions of their shots, which are aimed at the XBB.1.5 subvariant.

EG.5, nicknamed by some as "Eris", is similar to the XBB.1.5 subvariant and a sub-lineage of the still-dominant Omicron variant.

EG.5 accounted for about more than 17% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the latest government data.

NEW COVID SUBVARIANT, ERIS, IS NOW MOST COMMON AND FASTEST-SPREADING IN US: 'NEVER GOING AWAY'

In the United States, COVID-19 related hospitalizations are up more than 40% off of recent lows hit in June, but are still more than 90% below peak levels hit during the January 2022 Omicron outbreak.

EG.5 has also been detected in China, South Korea, Japan and Canada, among other countries.

The World Health Organization classified EG.5 as a "variant of interest", indicating that it should be more closely watched than others because of mutations that might make it more contagious or severe.