While the Buffalo Bills’ offseason was a slam dunk for Brandon Beane and the front office, it didn’t exactly get off to the best start. Pretty much as soon as the season ended for the Bills, running back James Cook (and his older brother Dalvin Cook) has not been quiet whatsoever about getting a new contract of $15 million per year.
The Bills are not an organization that likes to air out this kind of information, but having Cook put up all of this talk about how he deserves to get paid high value money has divided how Bills fans feel about him. Let’s not get it twisted, Cook is a great back and is the best one the Bills have had since LeSean McCoy. At the same time, he’s not doing himself any favors by being as vocal as he is.
Cook has rushed for back-to-back 1,000+ yards and was tied for the most rushing touchdowns last season (16). Now, heading into a contract year Cook is looking to get paid. While you can make the argument that Cook deserves to get paid, there is also an argument to be made that the Bills should not pay Cook early.
Up until recently with the contracts of Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Christian McCaffrey, running banks have been devalued for a long time. It’s understandable why Cook is not being quiet about getting paid what he believes he is worth.
James Cook has to prove that he deserves a big payday after loud offseason
Ryan Smith from Pro Football Focus (PFF) listed the five players heading into a contract year under the most pressure in 2025 and Cook is on that list, and he should be. You never want to pay too early, so maybe the Bills are playing it smart but they are also taking a risk too.
"Cook could hold out of training camp if a deal doesn’t get done, something the Super Bowl-contending Bills would like to avoid. If he is forced to play out the final year of his contract, he will be the lead back on one of the best offenses in the NFL, but the pressure will be on to produce at the level we saw in 2024 if he wants to earn top money at the position on his next deal."Ryan Smith, PFF
While Cook could easily holdout in training camp, it wouldn’t be smart on his end or the Bills’ end either. The hope is to find a way to keep things as calm as possible without any tension and play out the 2025 season in hopes that this could be the season that the Bills finally win the Super Bowl.
At the same time, Cook has to also be careful and hope that his actions don’t cost him a big contract for next season, whether it’s from Buffalo or not. However, it is understandable as to why there might be some drama in the summer between the Bills and Cook.