Well, the ongoing contract drama between the Buffalo Bills and James Cook takes another step in the direction of an unlikely contract extension between both sides. Ever since the end of the 2024 season, Cook has been standing his ground on what he wants to get paid by the Bills and he’s not backing down.
The star running back for the Bills has been vocal that he is seeking $15 million per season, which would put him as the third highest paid back in the NFL behind Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley. It’s a lot of money for a back that usually doesn’t play on third downs.
At the same time, we can’t deny the production that Cook has had the last two years. He has rushed for back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons and he was tied for the most rushing touchdowns last season (16). Now that he is entering the final year of his rookie contract, he is looking to get his money. However, the Bills have extended a lot of other players but not Cook.
Buffalo has extended Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard, Greg Rousseau, Josh Allen, and Christian Benford this offseason. That leaves Cook as the next one up for an extension, but the latest report about Cook’s future may have just shown us that he and the Bills are going to be going through a breakup at some point.
Latest James Cook report shows that he is more than likely done with Buffalo after 2025, if not sooner
According to Nick Veronica from News 4 Buffalo, James Cook has reportedly listed his Orchard Park house for sale. This report comes after general manager Brandon Beane confirmed that a contract extension with Cook would not be coming anytime soon.
Bills running back James Cook has listed his Orchard Park house for sale, coming just days after GM Brandon Beane indicated they weren't close on a contract extension and said he didn't foresee "doing any deals anytime soon." https://t.co/4hOQJLm8P5
— Nick Veronica (@NickVeronica) April 2, 2025
Taking it to this level is absolutely ridiculous. Cook, who is usually a quiet player has been extremely loud this offseason and he’s making more enemies than friends. The Bills are all about handling business in-house and Cook is doing the complete opposite. He’s making it public and applying pressure to the front office.
With Beane extending other players instead of Cook, you could consider it as a message being sent to Cook. With this new latest development, it would be wise for the Bills to strongly consider trading Cook to get some value back if they don’t plan on extending him. There are plenty of teams that would love to have a running back like Cook.