It seems like every couple of years, teams will go through a period of drama with a specific player, most of the time it is a star player. And for the most part, it’s usually about a contract situation. Players want to get paid and teams try to do whatever they can do to see if they can get great value without having to break the bank.
Sometimes the two sides come to terms and all is well moving forward. Sometimes it ends in a nasty divorce either in free agency or a trade is worked out. It’s not uncommon to see and the Buffalo Bills are in the middle of a contract situation with one of their star players in running back James Cook.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady took a bit of a subtle jab about James Cook not being at OTAs (other not required to attend), but it shows that the drama going on between the Bills and Cook is getting ridiculous and that having all players in the building would be very beneficial. However, that’s not the way it works unfortunately.
You can make an argument as to why Cook should or shouldn't get paid. It ultimately depends on whether or not Brandon Beane wants to cough up big-time money for a running back despite the Bills having a committee in the backfield.
Bills letting James Cook test market in 2026 would be gigantic mistake
Michael Ginnitti from Spotrac recently predicted notable NFL summer contract extension candidates’ future for during and after the 2025 season and of course, Cook is talked about with his situation.
Ginnitti is predicting that the Bills would lose Cook to free agency to test the market, which would be a big mistake by the Bills. Here’s what Ginnitti said about the contract situation with Cook:
"Cook has now put together back-to-back strong seasons in Buffalo, including 18 total touchdowns last season. But his struggles in the pass-blocking game has made him a 2-down back for the most part, making a long-term extension on an already expensive roster a very tough fit. He’s a $10M per year player in our system."Michael Ginnitti, Spotrac
I get it, paying running backs good-sized money is a huge gamble especially since we've seen the risks come back to haunt teams like the Rams (Todd Gurley) and Cowboys (Ezekiel Elliott). At the same time, we are seeing a recent trend of running backs getting paid and it working out.
Look at Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, and of course, Saquon Barkley. Heck, look at Josh Jacobs up in Green Bay as well. Those four backs have done some serious damage to opponents over the last two seasons and they are showing that running backs can be as important to the offense just like a wide receiver.
People love to say that Cook isn’t a 3-down back which is true, yet he still managed to rush for back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons the last two years and was tied for the most rushing touchdowns last season. He did all of that despite not being on the field on third downs. For the longest time, Josh Allen didn’t have a steady running game. Instead, he was the rushing attack in Buffalo.
Now you have a player like Cook, who doesn’t miss time with injuries and is a double threat player out of the backfield. Sure, Ray Davis is a solid RB2 but he’s not up to the same level as Cook. Cook’s asking price of atleast $15 million is a lot, I get that. However, if you want to have the talent, you have to pay for it. It’s just that simple.