James Cook’s new contract details just became painfully obvious

The Buffalo Bills are in the middle of a contract dispute with James Cook, as the Pro Bowl running back has now sat out multiple practices over the last few days. Cook is entering the final year of his rookie contract and wants to be paid like one of the top backs in the league.

The biggest struggle for both sides is finding ground on a common number. While Cook is younger than Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Christian McCaffrey, nobody would say that he is in their tier. But his production over the last two years stacks up favorably compared to just about any running back in the league.

But the Bills got some good news on Tuesday as the Rams and Kyren Williams agreed to a new deal that will pay him $33 million over the next three years, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Williams will also receive $23 million guaranteed over the next few seasons in Los Angeles.

Cook and Williams have very similar numbers over the last two seasons, and it makes sense that both sides would use this deal as a jumping-off point. Overall, this is a more favorable deal for Buffalo as Cook was likely open to earning more money on his next deal from the Bills. Williams is now just the seventh-highest-paid running back in the league, which seems more than fair considering his production.

We should expect Cook’s next deal to surpass $11 million, and there is a chance that he could surpass Alvin Kamara and Josh Jacobs at $12 million per year, according to OverTheCap.com. But with Williams’ deal now on the books, it should help speed up the process for Cook and the Bills.

At this point, it would be a borderline shock if this deal weren’t completed over the next two weeks. It makes too much sense for both sides, and the completion of the Williams deal should be the final data point the parties need to get a deal done.