The Buffalo Bills are entering an extremely important offseason, on the heels of a soft rest year that saw them reach the AFC Championship. While they have some work to do with the salary cap, moves can be made to help clear money to spend. However, with several young players needing contract extensions, the Bills could allocate a lot of their funds to that. One of those players needing an extension is rising star running back, James Cook, who has now hinted that he wants to be paid.
The third-year running back broke out this season in a big way for the Bills and was named to the Pro Bowl. Cook is eligible for a contract extension this offseason as he heads into the final year of his rookie deal. On Tuesday night the former second-round pick in 2022 revealed what he could be looking for while he was live on Instagram. Cooked pinned his comment saying, “15 mill year.”
James Cook is looking to cash in with Buffalo Bills
Cook seems to be alluding to the fact he wants top of the running back market money. After having a season like the former Georgia Bulldog did this year, there are very minimal facts to argue he’s not worth it. The 5’11’ 190lbs speedy back rushed for 1,009 yards, a league lead-tying 16 touchdowns, 4.9 yards per attempt, and 48 first downs on just 207 attempts, in 16 games.
Cook also added 32 catches, for 258 yards, and two touchdowns. He also fumbled the ball just once all year and it was recovered by the bills.
Efficiency should be Cook’s new middle name, as the production to attempts and snap count is eye-popping. However, at $15 million per year, Cook would become the second highest-paid back in the league yearly, behind only Christian McCaffrey. He would earn more than the likes of Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Alvin Kamara, and Josh Jacobs. Cook’s estimated market value is a four-year deal worth $40.8 million, and $10.2 million annually. So if $15 million a year is in fact what Cook wants, it’s a few million uptick from his projected market value.
The Bills are extremely impressed with Cook’s development, as Sean McDermott spoke glowingly of how Cook was drafted to be a receiving back, and has become one of the league’s best overall halfbacks. We’ve seen the Bills under Brandon Beane’s management draft and replace running backs, however, none have been nearly as good as Cook.
It is a legit question mark on how the Buffalo Bills brass feels about offering second contracts to running backs. One thing is for sure though, Cook is an excellent fit in this offense led by Josh Allen. His dynamism behind one of the best offensive lines in the league makes him as big a threat as any back in the NFL.
Another bargaining chip, Cook showed up in the playoffs for the Bills this year. In three post-season games versus Denver, Baltimore, and Kansas City, he ran for 272 yards, three touchdowns, and caught three passes for 64 yards. In the AFC Championship, Cook was arguably the best offensive player on the field for Buffalo. Cook was on another level, making insane plays, and one of the reasons the Bills were able to come back and almost punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.
In hindsight, Cook might not even be done developing and could get even better, which has got to scare defensive coordinators. His brother, former star running back, Dalvin Cook, took to X, formerly Twitter, that game to state his case for a big payday for his younger brother.
$20,000,000 / yr 💰 https://t.co/qYtzqO70NL
— Dalvin “4️⃣” Cook (@dalvincook) January 27, 2025
The Bills do like rewarding their homegrown players with big contract extensions, but running back is always a tricky situation. Cook has deserved a payday, and it’s clear him and his family think he needs a big one. Now it’s up to the Bills whether or not they will meet Cook’s top of the market demand, or they can work out a lower number. It is something to really watch this season, as Cook could opt to hold-out of training camp if he doesn’t get what he wants.