Running back James Cook’s contract standoff with Bills reaches 3rd practice

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The Buffalo Bills and James Cook are in agreement on at least one aspect of the running back’s contract standoff, which had the starter skipping his third consecutive training camp practice on Wednesday.

Neither side will hazard guessing on how much longer Cook will continue declining to practice in the fourth-year player’s escalating bid to extend the final year of his contract.

What’s more evident is how the team and player aren’t on the same page on various aspects of negotiations based on what people on each side of discussions told The Associated Press over the past two days. The people spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the talks are private.

Barring a sudden thaw in negotiations, it’s unclear who is expected to take the next step to spur discussions.

While the Bills have not ruled out potentially getting a deal done even if it means waiting until after the season, there’s a difference over how optimistic each side is of having one in place before the season opens.

The two sides also differ over whether Cook opened negotiations seeking a $15 million a year payday based on the player posting ”$15 mill year” in a message he posted on social media in February.

Though it’s unclear how far apart they are on what’s expected to be a three-year contract, Cook’s current asking price ranges somewhere between $11 to $12.5 million in guaranteed money.

How that fits in the Bills’ long-term salary cap structure is unclear even for a player who co-led the NFL with 16 touchdowns rushing during Cook’s breakout season in 2024.

“It’s how do you divvy up your money? You don’t want to lose a James Cook. He’s a valuable piece to our team,” Bills GM Brandon Beane told The AP on July 25.

“But you also don’t want to lose (left tackle) Dion Dawkins, (right tackle) Spencer Brown, the line we’ve put together or the money we put in the pass rush,” he added. “Teams are forced with choices, and those choices get really hard once you’ve paid that quarterback.”

Cook wound up being the odd-player out in Beane’s offseason spree of signing four players entering their final contract seasons to extensions.

Cook, meantime, believes he is deserving of a raise based on his production last year — his 16 TDs rushing tied a single-season team record — and the Bills placing an emphasis on a more balanced attack since Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator midway through the 2023 season.

“I deserve what I want, what I need, and it’s going to eventually happen,” Cook said, two days into training camp. “I mean, however it happens, it’s going to get done, wherever it happens.”

He referred to viewing himself as one of the NFL’s top running backs and added he didn’t regret posting what he did on social media.

Cook was a full practice participant during Buffalo’s first eight practices, before starting his “hold-in” on Sunday, when he watched from the sideline dressed in a white track suit. On Monday, he made a brief appearance before ducking out before practice began and did not return. Cook didn’t make an appearance Wednesday, but is still present at camp.

Buffalo closes camp in suburban Rochester, New York, with a practice Thursday before opening its preseason schedule by hosting the New York Giants on Saturday. The team will then resume practicing at its headquarters in Orchard Park.

Cook fears risking injury while entering the final year of his contract.

Though the Bills have backups Ray Davis and Ty Johnson in position to step in, they also face a risk should one of them get hurt.

Bills players and coaches insist Cook’s absence hasn’t been a distraction.

Brady said he’s treated Cook’s absence no different than how he’s adapted his practice plans to take into account several players sidelined by injuries.

“You guys know how I feel about James and the love I have for him, and all that’s out of my control in my hands,” Brady said. “So I find out tomorrow, hey, Jimbo’s going, I can focus on this. I find out it’s two weeks, whenever that time comes, we’ll adjust, we’ll be ready to go.”

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