Less than a year ago, the Buffalo Bills had themselves quite a quandry going on within their walls. Running back James Cook was in need of a new contract, and that saga went on entirely too long for comfort, if you were to ask most Bills fans.
Yet, late in the summer, Cook and the Bills were able to reach an agreement on his new 4-year deal worth $48 million in total. At the moment, the deal looked pretty good for both sides.
And then, months later, the New York Jets made a move that once again highlighted just how good Brandon Beane's deal with Cook was.
The Jets agreed to a new 3-year contract with running back Breece Hall worth $45.75 million, as we've recently highlighted. But, the Jets did something with Hall that makes them look less committed than the Bills are to Cook.
Breece Hall's new contract proves the Bills are far more committed to James Cook
To begin the offseason, the Jets slapped Hall with the franchise tag and, ultimately, it didn't receive a whole lot of negative attention or tone from the majority of folks -- unless you are a Breece Hall dynasty owner in the fantasy football realm.
But, now that Hall has a long-term deal worked out, he'll have security while the Jets try and figure out how to rebuild the team and find a franchise quarterback (which won't happen until next year at the soonest).
Meanwhile, the Bills and Cook look like they're in phenomenal shape. Buffalo didn't even get to the point where they had to use the franchise tag, fortunately, and after months of deliberation, they made it happen.
Cook's deal averages $12 million on an annual average while Hall is getting $15.25 million per season.
But here's the catch: Hall's deal is essentially a two-year deal because Year 3 doesn't have anymore guarantees.
So, the Jets gave him a "long-term" deal. But, not really. They aren't that committed to their star running back.
Similarly, the Bills could get out of Cook's deal after 2027 (Year 2) and save $6 million against their cap. But, it's not an outright wash like it is with Cook and the Jets.
If they cut him loose prior to the 2029 campaign, Buffalo saves about $10 million, yet they're not out without paying Cook some cash.
Now, one might also be able to argue that the deal for Hall is one with shorter guarantees because maybe, just maybe, the Bills have a better all-around player in Cook. Or, maybe Beane believes in Cook more than the Jets believe in Hall on a long-term basis.
That's up for debate -- well, it really isn't if you look at where the two of them finished last year. But that's a story for another day.
At the moment, Cook's deal continues to look fantastic for all involved. Meanwhile, the Jets might've overpaid for Hall after making him the league's third-highest paid running back.
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