The Buffalo Bills spent the first five years of Josh Allen’s career without an adequate running back. The dynamic passer was asked to carry the load as the team’s leading rusher, which frequently made the team’s offense one-dimensional. That finally changed in 2023, when Bills running back James Cook provided Allen with the first 1,000-yard rusher of his career. Cook led the league with 16 rushing touchdowns last season ,and that additional threat out of the backfield helped Allen earn the 2024 NFL MVP award.
Yet, Buffalo’s time with their legitimate rushing threat may already be coming to an end. Cook, a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has been vocal about his desire for a contract extension this offseason. While Buffalo has paid plenty of players, Cook has remained unsigned.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane recently put contract negotiations with Cook on hold, and the young running back responded by putting his house on the market.
James Cook won’t take his contract dispute as far as his brother
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport discussed Cook’s deteriorating relationship with the team.
“It’s not great,” Rapoport said. “I would not describe it as great right now. He’ll play for the Bills next year. I know the negotiations didn’t go great. I do know he’s a player the Bills would like to have in their future because he’s young and he’s awesome on the field. … I think they can get back together and maybe get on the same page and somehow do a deal theoretically. It’s not going to be anytime soon … but as of right now, this is not in the greatest place ever.”
Perhaps the most notable news to take away from all of this is that Cook still plans to play for the Bills in 2024. It may be a lesson learned from Dalvin Cook, his older brother, who threatened a holdout during contract disputes with the Minnesota Vikings in 2020. While Dalvin eventually received a contract extension, he was let go by Minnesota and never found success elsewhere.
Cook said on social media last month that he is looking for an average annual salary of $15 million, which would place him third behind only Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. The 25-year-old has proven to be a valuable weapon for Buffalo, but that price may be difficult to justify.
Cook isn’t scheduled to be a free agent until 2026, and Beane noted that the team could revisit contract discussions later down the road.