Could Bills RB James Cook Be The Odd Man Out?

Prior to the official start of the new league year for the NFL the Buffalo Bills have been setting the precedent of paying their guys. Standout players such as Khalil Shakir, Greg Rousseau, Terrel Bernard and now MVP Josh Allen all received new deals to keep a young core of solid players. Notably one player that did not receive an extension was one of the most productive players in the NFL this past season, third year running back James Cook.

Soon after the season wrapped up Cook took to social media declaring he deserved fifteen million dollars a year. Media took notice of his price and a divide soon grew within the fanbase of whether to pay or let him move on. During his time at Georgia, he was seen as a receiving back with potential. Buffalo selected Cook in the second round of the 2022 draft and envisioned him as a chess piece for the offense. In his first two years with the Bills, Cook had growing pains as he was an inconsistent pass catcher and had a fumbling problem. Cook did finish his second year with over 1500 total yards and 6 touchdowns.

Cook in his third year looked like a different running back, it seemed his mentality switched. In previous years he didn’t invite contact from defensive players and that led to inconsistent vision during runs. This year Cook embraced the hits and found extra yards. At such a smaller frame for a lead back at 5 ’11 and 190 pounds, cook frequently played bigger. In 2024 Cook exploded to score eighteen touchdowns, and also totaled over 1009 rushing yards and 258 receiving yards. The mentality change surprised the coaching staff, especially Bills Head coach Sean Mcdermott. Mcdermott praised cook after the season and called Cook’s maturation one of the biggest joys of coaching. With all the necessary steps showing Cook’s ascension as a top player at his position only clouds his future with the team.

A League wide divide on RB’s

Buffalo Bills General Manager Brandon Beane is seen league wide as one of the better GM’s at building a contender. Throughout the years it has been apparent that he has not been interested in paying large amounts of money to running backs. Since the release of Lesean Mccoy in 2019 Beane has approached the position with the churn and burn method. Beane has drafted mid round running backs and used them and then move on once their first contract expires. The Bills are not the only team that uses this method and it is widely adopted to many teams. In the last few years we’ve seen a resurgence in star running backs taking their teams to new levels. Names to mention would be Saquan Barkley, Derrick Henry and Christian Mccaffrey as all three of these players went to new teams and proved the power of having star talent at running back can change the trajectory of a teams playoff hopes. The question remains if teams are finding success with paying talented running backs, why does it seem Beane is reluctant to pay Cook?

Why He Could Go

There are a couple factors why I feel Beane could let Cook walk into 2026 free agency. One of the biggest is Cook’s inability to play a high amount of snaps due him not being a viable blocker for Josh Allen. In 2024 Cook only played in 45% of the team’s offensive snaps, splitting with 3rd down running back Ty Johnson and rookie Ray Davis. Many of the league’s best running backs hover around 65% or higher mark in terms of snaps for their teams. While Cook is very effective, the Bills offensive line is one of the best units in the league and each running back on the roster has had success. This leads to another question of why pay this guy when I can just find another? The biggest reason why I feel the Bills could refuse to extend Cook is his stated price of 15 million. A deal this size for a position like running back could hamstring a roster already dedicating so many resources to other young players. With one deal in waiting that could push well past twenty million per year with cornerback Christian Benford. It could become a matter of positional value leaving Cook the odd man out. 

Pathways to stay

There is a possibility for how the Bills could be in line to pay Cook a fair deal. The NFL’s salary cap has gone up over 53 million dollars total in the last two years. If the cap does trend in that direction again, Cook could see a hefty payday . If I were to construct a deal I would be comfortable with 3 years and 11.5 per year with incentives that could give James the opportunity to make it close to his mark of 15. Preferably the guaranteed money would be around 25 million and paid out within the first two years of the deal. The main goal of the front office with Cooks deal should be keeping it below 6% of the total cap. 

After his extremely productive season is 2024, it will be tough for leadership to block out the outside noise especially if he replicates this past season in 2025. While it is still up in the air if an extension will happen or not one thing is true. This could be the first time GM Brandon Beane pays top money for a running back, something he has avoided since taking over in 2017.