The Buffalo Bills and RB James Cook have been one of the leading stories of the offseason. Though Cook and the Bills dance the same dance that players entering contract years have shared for decades, many wonder if there's a change on the horizon.
Training camps around the NFL are about to tee off and, as some players hold out over new contracts, others such as T.J. Watt and Sauce Gardner are getting results. Buffalo has a history of great running backs.
From O.J. Simpson to Thurman Thomas to LeSean McCoy and more, the team has a long track record of giving big money to ball carriers. Many HCs and GMs froth at the mouth for the opportunity to sign a player like James Cook to a major extension in his prime; But do Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane?
The LeSean McCoy era
When the dynamic duo took over the franchise ahead of the 2017 NFL season, the team was a year away from a rebuild. In taking on the Bills' stunted roster, they also adopted LeSean McCoy and the latter half of his five-year $40m contract.
Signed by McDermott and Beane's predecessors following the trade with Philadelphia, it was a financial bulwark in 2017. The duo managed to navigate the year with a surprise playoff visit to bust nearly 18 years of short seasons, in part due to McCoy's play. But 2018 was rougher, and the veteran struggled for the first season in a decade.
When 2019 rolled around, Buffalo was entering a new phase in their rebuild, and cutting LeSean McCoy was the wisest move; it saved the team over $6m on the salary cap.
The first casualty of a changing NFL, keeping LeSean McCoy simply wasn't worth the money. But was it the start of a trend for the Buffalo Bills? During McCoy's overlap with McDermott and Beane, the only other RBs the team signed were Chris Ivory, to a two-year, $5.5m deal, and Taiwan Jones as a returner to a one-year, $880K contract.
Running back by committee
Perhaps the beginning of the Beane-McDermott RB philosophy, cutting LeSean McCoy was the second major running back decision of the era. The first was made when they drafted Devin Singletary in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
His rookie contract was a pittance, despite being RB1 for the Buffalo Bills for three seasons. He joined the 36-year old Frank Gore and veteran T.J. Yeldon to round out an uninspiring group. Buffalo was getting cheaper, with their draft picks taking on starting roles across the roster there was room to spend on a luxury player. No investment came, and the group would play the season.
In 2020, Singletary was joined by rookie Zack Moss on his first NFL contract, and Taiwan Jones with a one-year deal worth $1.75m. Buffalo entered the 2020 NFL season with spending money again, and cashed in on WR Stefon Diggs, amongst other moves. The RB position was seen by most to be a major need, but it wasn't something the team addressed, financially speaking.
By 2021, trends became clear- Money wasn't in the cards for the RB position. The team's new success brought the interest of talented RBs from across the league, but their money went elsewhere. Running again with their top-two backs on rookie contracts, they added Matt Breida for just over a million dollars and brought back the veteran Taiwan Jones on a deal nearly identical to his previous one.
In 2022, they made a splash by adding Von Miller to the defensive line on a $120M deal. With Devin Singletary entering his contract year, it became clear again that they had no interest in spending impactful money at the position.
He would play out the final season as the leader of the Buffalo Bills running back room. Though they had a lead back, Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott made clear effort to run the running back room as a unit. With a handful of role players, the team got average performances from the unit with below-average spending. In a modern NFL, where both passing and defending the pass takes precedent, the investment fell to the wayside.
The James Cook era
Still, as they prepared for the obvious departure of Devin Singletary, the team selected James Cook in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Running backs who could play a heavy receiving role became the focus. They took Cook on his new rookie deal, and signed Taiwan Jones once again.
Midseason, Zack Moss was unplayable for the Bills, and Buffalo was in need of a returner to help win the field position battle. Brandon Beane swung a deal with the Indianapolis Colts to secure RB/KR Nyheim Hines, removing Moss in the process.
Hines was a pricier pickup than the rest of the rushers Buffalo dealt with, but he came with the upside of his return ability, which he put to good use. In finishing the season, Buffalo paid Hines just over $2m. They would renegotiate his deal to give him a total of $9m over the next two seasons, but the contract was voided after an unfortunate jet-ski incident cut Hines offseason short. In total, he would see just over $3m from his time in Buffalo- Money spent solely for his kick-returner upside.
As Singletary hit free agency and the 2023 offseason began in earnest, the Bills RB room consisted of only James Cook, Ty Johnson (1 year, $1.08m), and then Latavius Murray on his new one-year, $1.32m contract.
When 2024 came back around, Ty Johnson was rewarded with another cheap one-year contract and the Bills selected Ray Davis in round four of the 2024 NFL Draft. The team continued their cycle of signing cheap veterans to play roles and rotating in new rookies to keep the RB room cheap as James Cook enters his third year. Ray Davis may not yet be a star, but the team's intent was clear.
This season, in 2025, things become uncertain. James Cook is the best running back on the roster, no question. His impact has been undeniable. Buffalo gives Ty Johnson a new two-year deal worth $5m, to cement the future of the room alongside Ray Davis, in case James Cook does indeed leave. If James Cook does go, the team will need to expect development from Ray Davis, and sign another cheap veteran to fill the hole once again.
Running back deals of the McDermott era
Over the course of this piece, we've observed innumerable RB contracts from the Brandon Beane era of roster-building. Numerous offensive coordinators have come and gone, yet the approach to personnel has never wavered. Consistent throughout Sean McDermott's tenure as head coach, this large sample size gives us plenty to look at. Here are those contracts:
Player Name | Average Annual Value | # Of Years |
|---|---|---|
2018 | ||
Chris Ivory | $2.75m | 2 |
Taiwan Jones | $880k | 1 |
2019 | ||
Frank Gore | $2m | 1 |
T.J. Yeldon | $1.6m | 2 |
Devin Singletary (R) | $975k | 4 |
Taiwan Jones | $1.75m | 1 |
2020 | ||
Zack Moss (R) | $1.15m | 4 |
2021 | ||
Matt Breida | $1.05m | 1 |
Taiwan Jones | $1.75m | 1 |
2022 | ||
James Cook (R) | $1.46m | 4 |
Taiwan Jones | $1.27m | 1 |
2023 | ||
Nyheim Hines | $4.5m (voided) | 2 |
Ty Johnson | $1.08m | 1 |
Latavius Murray | $1.32m | 1 |
2024 | ||
Ty Johnson | $1.29m | 1 |
Ray Davis (R) | $1.18m | 4 |
2025 | ||
Ty Johnson | $2.5m | 2 |
When we've compiled all this information into one place, it becomes more digestible. Here's what the chart teaches us:
- No veteran contracts longer than two seasons.
- No deals over $2.75m AAV for any pure RB.
- Role players earn multiple new short term deals only.
- Impact rookies brought in roughly every second season.
James Cook negotiations
Now, to the meat of the matter. What does all this information tell us?
Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott have never approached the running back position wallet-first. They consistently rotate rookies into the lineup to keep it young and, most importantly, cheap. It would take a special player to break their inherent plan.
To give James Cook his credit, he's the best performer that McDermott and Beane have had to make a decision about. It isn't made easy when the Cook led the league in rushing touchdowns in 2024. His asking price of $15m per season isn't unheard of; It would make him one of the league's highest-paid running backs, but it would be well-earned.
Still, for the Buffalo Bills, it just isn't how they construct their roster. In not spending at this luxury spot, they can retain key members of the team at premium positions, and still spend on free agents when the time comes. Based on their long, well-established history of doing exactly that, they're likely unwilling to break that pattern for James Cook.
His estimated value, according to Spotrac, sits at roughly $10.2m per season. If he's willing to compromise for that amount, he begins to fall into the range McDermott and Beane might actually find acceptable.