The Bills have reached an agreement with running back James Cook on a four-year contract extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal has a base value of $48MM with $30MM in guaranteed money, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Cook’s $12MM APY is the sixth-highest among running backs, and his guarantees trail only Saquon Barkley and Ashton Jeanty‘s rookie contract. He will now be under contract in Buffalo through the 2029 season.
The Bills had been trying to extend Cook for most of the offseason. He publicly demanded $15MM per year, and negotiations stalled in the spring. The two sides appeared to be making progress on a number of occasions, including when Cook showed up for mandatory minicamp and took the field at the start of training camp.
However, Cook stopped practicing in early August, citing “business” as the reason and raising doubt that a deal would get done before Week 1. He returned to the field on Tuesday, a clear signal that he and the team were close to an agreement. Indeed, Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed that Cook ending his hold-in was a show of good faith that helped get both sides back to the negotiating table.
“Once we got him back on the practice field, we really worked hard,” added Beane (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg).
Set to turn 26 in late September, Cook arrived in Buffalo as the 63rd overall pick in the 2022 draft. He spent his rookie year playing second fiddle to veteran Devin Singletary but took over the starting job in 2023 with his first thousand-yard season, plus another 445 yards through the air to reach 1,567 yards from scrimmage on the year. Last year, he saw a slight downtick in both rushing attempts and receiving targets as part of an overall reduction in playing time. Cook, however, led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns — no small task given Josh Allen‘s impact around the goal line — as the Bills deployed another high-powered offense after trading Stefon Diggs to the Texans.
Beane said that the Bills still believe that Cook is “a three-down type player” despite playing just 48% of the team’s offensive snaps last year, down from 55% the year prior.
“We think he could take more, but we also want to use our other weapons and keep him as fresh as possible,” continued Beane. “We think that’s the best utilization of him.”
Keeping Cook fresh in 2024 allowed him to rank sixth among running backs in yards per carry last season. He also tied Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns.
Cook’s agent, Zac Hiller of LAA Sports & Entertainment, released a statement on his client’s behalf: “James could only envision himself as a Buffalo Bill. We are extremely thankful to the entire Bills organization and glad we could make that happen.”
Cook is now the sixth Bill to sign a multiyear extension this offseason, capping off an impressive string of signings for Beane and his front office. They made several tough decisions by cutting long-tenured veterans last offseason to free up cash and cap space to get their young core under contract. With that mission accomplished, the Bills will spend the next few seasons trying to get over the hump and finally bring a Super Bowl to Buffalo.
Meh.
$12 million a year with $30 million guaranteed is a vast overpay. The Bills got nervous and made a mistake.
Agree. He’s a valued player, but he got a premium while others took a more cap and team friendly deal. This may come back to bite them when other players expect a similar bump.
I will admit an overpay, but he needs to be ready for overuse … lets see if he can do it.
Disagree. It’s right around his value.
As for the guarantees, blame the Raiders for taking Jeanty so high that he got so much guaranteed.
This is becoming the new norm I guess. Throw a tantrum publicly, stomp your feet, pout, and then get what you want. 🙄
I tried that strategy with my wife but it still resulted in her dragging me off to places like Bed Bath & Beyond. She’s not a pushover like some GMs seem to be.
😂
That seems fairly reasonable for both sides, depending on the contract structure. It’s not like he’s going to get another meaningful one considering how the league treats RB’s
Running backs need all they can get. They have a 5 year career if they’re lucky
Definitely a reasonable deal for both sides that still gives Cook major money.