One of the smartest moves Brandon Beane made for the Buffalo Bills moving forward was extending multiple players and getting ahead of the curve in terms of beating the market value. It started out with extending Khalil Shakir first, then also extending Greg Rousseau, Terrel Bernard, and Christian Benford. Shakir, Bernard, and Benford are from the same 2022 draft class while Rousseau was drafted a year earlier in 2021.
The only other rising Bills star that remains to be unsigned from his rookie deal is running back James Cook, who has been the second most important player on the offense behind Josh Allen the last two seasons. While NFL Insider Albert Breer has expressed his opinions about the Cook contract situation, others have their own as well.
Cook has not been shy with voicing that he wants $15 million per year. Some fans say go for it, while others are completely against it. Either way, his contract drama will be a topic throughout the summer and going into the season.
While Cook will be a main topic of discussion for a potential contract extension, he shouldn’t be the main focus for the Bills. Tyler Sullivan from CBS Sports listed the top extension candidates for all 32 NFL teams and Sullivan listed Cook as the top choice for the Bills but it was the wrong decision.
OL Connor McGovern is a bigger priority for Bills to extend
Obviously Cook is a great playmaker and he is going to get paid, it just might not be from Buffalo. However, the Bills might be willing to do whatever it takes to extend their center in Connor McGovern. The Bills brought McGovern to Buffalo in 2023 and transitioned from guard to center last season. He played phenomenally and was the anchor of one of the best offensive lines last season (that only allowed 14 sacks).
He earned his first Pro Bowl honors last season and is now heading into a contract year. Brandon Beane must do whatever it takes to keep this offensive line together beyond 2025 and extending McGovern will help make that come true. Showing his versatility and protecting the MVP should easily make him the Bills’ top priority as far as contract extensions.