Even though we can talk about how great and impactful Brandon Beane was for the Buffalo Bills this past offseason, there is one major storyline that took a lot of headlines for the worse and that was the James Cook contract situation.
Throughout this offseason, Cook (and his brother) have not made it a secret that Cook is looking to get no less than $15 million per year from the team. I mean, he does have an argument to get paid good money. He was tied for the most rushing touchdowns last season (16) and has rushed for 1,000+ yards in each of the last two seasons. Let’s not forget, he did all of this without being a three-down back which could work in his favor or against.
He is undoubtedly the best player on the offense outside of Josh Allen but with the way the Bills operate their running back room out of a committee, it could ultimately hurt Cook’s chance at getting the extension that he wants from the Bills. In addition, a latest Pro Football Focus (PFF) rankings list by Dalton Wasserman may also hurt his argument to getting an extension as well.
Wasserman recently ranked the running back groups in the NFL heading into the 2025 season and the Bills were placed at No. 8 overall. Of course, Cook is a big reason as to why the Bills are ranked this high, but Ray Davis and Ty Johnson have a lot of production underneath their belts, too. Here's what Wasserman said about the Bills' running back room:
"Buffalo has put together a solid group of running backs who fill a variety of roles. The workhorse is James Cook, who earned an outstanding 88.6 PFF rushing grade last season while leading the league in rushing touchdowns.Dalton Wasserman, PFF
Rookie Ray Davis got 120 carries of his own and earned a solid 73.1 PFF rushing grade while breaking 30 tackles. Ty Johnson serves as a reliable pass catcher, ranking 10th among qualifiers in PFF receiving grade in 2024."
Production from other Bills RBs may cost James Cook long-term future with Bills
It would be one thing if Cook was being loud about this contract extension and the Bills didn’t have another plan to replace him. However, they just might have it with Ray Davis and Ty Johnson, both of whom are still under contract with the team after the 2025 season. At the same time, losing Cook who has shown to be one of the best backs in the NFL would be a massive risk for Buffalo.
For now, things seem good with the Bills and Cook…publicly. Cook has already stated that he plans on being at training camp next month so he is putting the team first. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise to have some tense dialogue going on in the building with the front office and Cook about a potential extension, if one ever comes at all.
Even if Cook has yet another dominant year in Buffalo, if Davis and Johnson can prove that they can carry the load as well, the Bills could easily just move on from Cook, run with the combo of Davis and Johnson while adding another back in free agency or the draft next year.