The Buffalo Bills have been very busy thus far in the offseason. A lot of that has come from extending big contracts to their homegrown players. They hit on a lot of players in the 2023 NFL Draft, with Khalil Shakir, James Cook, Christian Benford, and Terrel Bernard all becoming key players.
Now, all but Cook have received extensions this offseason. According to general manager Brandon Beane, at the NFL owner's meetings, that won’t change anytime soon.
While speaking with Bills beat reporter Sal Capaccio, Beane all but said the team attempted to extend Cook but the two sides were far apart on a price. Beane reportedly told Capaccio that the team reached out to his representatives earlier in the offseason, however, they moved on to other players who they could work out deals with. Beane also said he doesn’t expect a deal anytime soon, and the team is now gearing up for the draft.
This doesn’t bode well for fans who have grown impatient with the team not inking Cook to a new deal. It also doesn’t bode well for the public negotiating tactic that Cook took. Beane did say, however, that just because they didn’t extend Cook yet, doesn’t mean they won’t. While they can sign him later on or after next season, they aren’t focused on that right now.
How did the Buffalo Bills and Cook get to this point?
Back in early February, the Cook drama started when the rising star went live on Instagram and pinned his own comment saying “15 mill year.” At the time, it would have been near the top of the running back market pay, behind only Christian McCaffrey.
That would have vaulted him into making more than reigning offensive player of the year Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathon Taylor. After an extension for Saquon, $15 million a year would now put Cook as the third highest paid back based on average per year.
Shortly after stirring things up on Instagram Live, the Pro Bowler then proceeded to scrub the Bills off of his social media. He changed his Buffalo Bills profile picture, unfollowed the team, and deleted almost all of his Bills-related pictures, except for his Pro Bowl nomination graphic.
Since then, Cook has gone the cryptic route to continue making it publicly known he wants to be paid. With Brandon Beane, confirming the two sides couldn’t agree to a deal, it has doubled down the notion that Cook is all about his money.
Whether or not you think Cook is worth that, is another story. The third-year back exploded for the Bills this season. In 16 games he rushed for 1,009 yards, a whopping 16 touchdowns, and averaged 4.9 yards per attempt on just 207 attempts, making it much more impressive.
The now Pro Bowler in two straight years, also added 32 catches for 258 yards and two touchdowns. Cook also showed up massively for the Bills in the playoffs, arguably being the best offensive player on the field in the AFC Championship game, which saw the Bills fall short of the Super Bowl by just four points.
The Bills have become famous for this in the past, but getting their star players to sign for a little cheaper than they might fetch somewhere else was a key thing this offseason. The latest example comes in the recently extended Christian Benford, who agreed to stay with the team for four more years at $19 million per season.
That is a very team-friendly deal for the Bills after the cornerback market exploded this offseason. Shakir, Bernard, Gregory Rousseau, Benford, and even Josh Allen, took less money to lock themselves in with the Bills. The team leverages its winning culture, its coaching staff who developed them, and its high-aptitude locker room to help get these deals done. It also says a lot when the players want to remain with the team that believes in them first, over chasing a little extra money.
While we don’t know exactly what the numbers were, the Bills seem to always get deals done that are fair for player and team, and this offseason is a prime example of it. Cook seems to truly want that top dollar. In a draft class with a lot of running back talent, it could be very telling for Cook’s future in Buffalo.
As of now, we have still yet to see the team under Brandon Beane’s management, offer a big-time second contract to a running back. What we do know is, four players who didn't publicly negotiate their contracts all received an extension, while the one who did, hasn't.
Cook has become a star in the Bills offense and is just entering his prime, however, he does play behind a top offensive line in the league, and the reigning MVP at quarterback, in Josh Allen. It's clear the team has a set value and is trying to spread the cap out as much as possible to continue competing year in and year out.