MasterStrategist

No but why does that matter? Do you know what was said behind closed doors, either by said players or agents representing them? You honestly can't expect every player/person to handle the situation in a way that you consider "professional". It's your choice to look at Cooks comments, actions OR maybe get the news here somewhere else.... But consider that it is "your choice", to get a glimpse into that. Like it or hate it, there is so much more happening behind the scenes. So to form ones opinion on such limited info, just seems foolish to me. Again this doesn't seem to be bothering anyone around the organization except some sensitive fans right now.

First, last i checked most employers are not publicly posting their employees salary/contracts --- unless in a state/fed govt role. Apples to oranges, every sports players contract is public knowledge. Which is why I'm fine with players voicing/talking about it/advocating for themselves in Amy public fashion. But to each their own and I respect anyone's opinion, old school or not. Just how it works in this day and age using social media. Finally, it's the posters (and I'm not calling you out bc I haven't read your prior posts), that are being "extreme" that frustrate me. "Get Cook off the team", "cut him, trade him", etc etc all based on his social media actions (which haven't been vulgar, demeaning of team. etc). At the end of day, cash is king and all that these extremist posters are doing is getting upset about nothing. Cook will get his bag with us, or someone else, having an opinion on his salary/gtd money is fine. When it crosses the line, IMO, is when fans somehow become offended and wanting him off the team. Its a strange hill for some to die on. Buckle up, because social media isn't going anywhere- this isn't the first or last time a player advocates for themselves on a platform.

I'm 42 geezer. I quoted you verbatim man. Laugh it off, you literally said: childish, diva, me first....to explain Cokks behaviour. Then proceeded to say "perception within the organization....", "...Cook would have been better served...". I'm using the words you said. Reading comprehend your own comments lol. You're coming off as "get off my lawn", with respect to handling via social media. He took pics down of wearing Bills gear, boo freaking who. Lol, like seriously? You must not pay attention to how negotiating with social media, not all players but a fairly many, have occurred in recent years. Childish, I'd go as far to say you're being as sensitive as a child. It's easy to label people, from a limited perspective of what is happening behind the scenes. Cook is anything but childish, diva, me first as you specifically said. Again, 42 isn't really a young whippersnapper--- again, your "assuming" is a poor trait and not accurate. I'll have poor assumptions for 1k Alex. How about stick to the facts here- which is what I stated in my prior post. Listen to the comments of Josh, Brady, McD, Beane, etc about Cook (as a person and player). Your "quoted words", can't be further than what they have stated. Either you know Cook personally OR you have an axe to grind with using social media to negotiate? If the latter, then welcome to the 2020s of player negotiations- a mix of keep your mouth shut on social media, and others who want to advocate for themselves. A little thing called "freedom of speech", seems to be bothering ppl (yourself included) about Cook ...or maybe some weird fetish with his Bills gear photos? Only you can answer that. Maybe something to ponder at Dennys in the am.

Your middle paragraph just showing your age, or being overly sensitive to social media. Joe Fan perceives Cook as a (let's just quote some things you said above): childish, diva, me first. Not to mention this continued speculation of "perception from within the organization". What do you know goes on in the organization behind closed doors? Lol. Beane, McD, Josh, his RBs coaches, other players, Brady - all speak highly of James Cook. Cook himself said this won't be a distraction to the team. Get over the social media stuff, there are TONS of examples of other NFL players who have approached it the same way. Team first, dedicated players to their community and team. Perhaps people are still soured by Diggs, Cook ain't "him". He's also not his brother. This deal will either get done or not, but it won't be because of social media or anything Cook is doing with taking down pics of himself in Bills gear (how silly does this really sound right now?). It will come down to $, and compromising on both sides or lack thereof. Nobody, or perhaps mostly no one on here, knows what is happening behind the scenes. Player A could be a sweetheart in the media/social media, but he or agent causing headaches in negotiations behind the scenes. Player B could be exact opposite. Bottom line, let's not pretend to know whay we don't know. Cook/Benford be could be signed to an extension tomorrow, Monday, 2 months from now, etc. Going to a lot of egg (expensive ones) on people's faces if a deal gets signed with Cook--- way too many acting like "he would have been better served....". This situation is fluid, should not be a "past tense" right now

Already posted my thoughts on Groot extension- which I'm a huge fan of. Two examples of extending young players, with high priced GTD $: 1. Extending the Player X who has "hit his ceiling or close to". Less risky, usually more costly, and value gets diminished to an extent. Already in tier 2/borderline elite or elite status. 2. Extending Player Y who has shown elite potential/untapped ceiling, still ascending. These deals you "pay for the come", and while greater risk, can return extreme high "value". Ascending into Tier 2, or shown to be there, albeit not consistently. Groot fits mold 2, IMO. Like I said before, Spencer Brown and Groot are almost 2 peas in a pod. We saw what happened with Spencer this year, he's going to be a Tier 1/elite RT in the next year or so. Groot is on a similar trajectory - at least to be a dependable Tier 2 player overall- excellent against the run, 10-12 sack potential. Off topic/related to future: 1. Bernard, Shakir, Benford (who I'd put as most established) all in same boat. Cook as well, he's going to be putting up way bigger #s next year IMO- we need 1 consistent explosive WR ro take this offense to another level. 2. Need to fix CB2 and S- these are bigger issues than DL, IMO

Everyone needs to remember a few things: 1. $20m per is the " high end", all incentives met figure. 2. Gtd $54m is the most important piece 3. Without knowing any details on how deal is structured/cap hits are spread out, this could end up being a 3 yr $54m deal - don't know yet 4. Cap/contracts continue to increase. His % of cap is very reasonable, based on projections and will continue to look better compared to peers as new deals work out (Fact). All that, plus, Groot is young only 24. This isn't another Edmunds situation, Groot has shown very good improvement/made splash plays (just not as consistent yet). This is a Spencer Brown situation IMO. High end talent, so close to putting it altogether. Groot has elite skills, and with another offseason + what is expected to be better coaching = potential for major step in 2025+. I'm all for this deal, it's fair on both sides. Paying for upside, but not an overpay. If Groot becomes a 12+ sack guy, which is extremely possible, this will be a HUGE underpay for us.

I'd welcome Von back with the paycut, that actually be a great opportunity to save the cap (net amt from releasing him) but also keep a good player. Von came here to win a championship, thought Josh was special to lead us there. IMO,the only reason he leaves is if he's retiring OR planning to sign with another contender for more than what we offer in a reduced deal. The latter is likely difficult for him to assess, unless given permission to "seek a trade". I see him coming back on a fair deal again. Still would give us $$$ to go after more DL help or secondary in FA.

"we" being used loosely above. Cue all the angry fans that take the utmost offense to what players post on social media. Who the F cares? Before anyone compares to Diggs, Diggs was the most selfish/demanding player around the team in addition to his typical social media comments. Cook is pretty much the exact opposite, as a teammate-- according to Josh, other players, and coaches/Beane. I'd love to see Josh scrub all his social media of Bills content, and watch the insanity ensue from the psycho social media pundits. Reality is this is how player negotiations occur via social media. The "we" crowd is taking things to the extreme/getting personally offended by a huge nothing burger.

Alot of crazy takes in here. James Cook is our best offensive weapon, not named Josh Allen...thats a fact. Not to mention he's continued to improve, and there's still more room. Just ridiculous opinions on his "value". Ray Davis isn't near the player Cook is. There are probably 2-3 other RBs who get that 4th down TD vs KC. We finally found a special player at RB, and most here would be happy if he's traded this offseason. Beane can easily afford $12m+, even $15m. The difference 12 vs 15, is easily made up with more prudent "depth" signings. You don't let a premier talent go, you also don't give in to crazy demands either. I'm hopeful they'll get Cook extended, his emergence has been the primary reason our lack of explosive plays haven't haunted us more.

You're missing a key stat.... RB completions/% rate. Kamara/Ingram accounted for 150+ targets and receptions. Compare that to Cook/Ty/Davis with a combined 67 catches this season.... Those RB screens will help inflate that %. Nothing against Brees, he's a 1st ballot HOF QB. We arent running the same offense though. Our WR screens to Shkair helped Josh, but not to that magnitude.

The "short changing him" title goes to @BADOLBILZ I hear he's a fan of his short arms 😁 Good call as usual on Shakir, @Alphadawg7! Vital part of the offense,whose stats wpuld only look better if we had a difference maker outside

This would work. Ideally Elam is off the books/included in trade, as I posted above. That would help alleviate some cap $ this year and ability to draft a corner late that wouldn't get lost in the numbers/cuts.

I'm all about getting a top tier CB opposite of Benford. It's been our downfall in the playoffs, IMO. 1 injury to Benford and our boundary corners are pedestrian at best. I like Alexander's fit into our scheme alot, and he's a true elite corner....when healthy. There are other options in FA, that aren't his caliber that I'd still be plenty happy with. In this hypothetical, I'd give our original 2nd and Elam, for him and a 4th or early 5th. Getting rid of Elams contract would be a huge win, albeit unlikely.

I missed the question he was asked though, it's a different context if Beane voluntarily brings that up vs being led into that comment. Either way, his and MCDs comments have all been positive on Cooks attitude/progression. He also states above, the obvious, that things are fluid. It would be telling/unheard of/concerning, pick the word of choice, if Beane was more concerned himself. Things are fluid, week of combine is always agent/GM interactions and contract talks become a distraction later into offseason/camp. However, Cook has said he won't be a distraction...so we shall see , but right now it's BAU.

I think you misunderstand the concept of "goalpost moving". Im asking you questions related to why you seem to be so motivated to have us sign Allen, and the roster building component (ie:draft picks, salary cap, etc). Speaking of "baiting"/goalpost moving, I think you're projecting quite a bit...go back re read your posts if you need to understand the difference. So let me give you my perspective and maybe you can reply with educated opinion on Allen: 1. First off, I suspect a small chance anyone is giving up a draft pick for Allen. $16m comes with him, renegotiate or not., he isnt worth trading for. Wash will likely end up cutting him if they move on. No use wasting any picks 2. 2024 play: his play dipped prior to injury, was losing snaps to their new rook Newton and getting outplayed in the run game 3. 2025+: 30 and coming off a "partial to near full torn pec", he is no longer a "sure thing" 4. Contract: of course adding void years is the easy thing to do. But it's the same thing getting Beane into problems cap wise, because he's selecting to do this with the wrong guys. Allen isn't the guy you give up picks for, during a draft deep in DT talent. Cap wise, as discussed, he isnt coming over via a $16m trade (which you cant re work until we stay under cap). If he is released, sure see what he's asking for...my guess is it's still too high. My idea of improving DL is not going after aging vets, coming off injury, who are going to cost cap/add unnecessary void years. Draft is going to have plenty of options in Rd 1 and 2. We're set up in the draft to get younger/cheaper and build a new DL if we use a couple picks early. Comes down to Beane nailing these first 3 picks. Jonathan Allen isn't the answer though. If we do invest in a FA DT, there are better options IMO, but I'd rather see us use FA on secondary help and draft for DL. Let's see what you got in response.

Ha I was not boycotting...good try 🤣 Again why is Jonathan Allen such an upgrade at his cost, vs drafting? Please enlighten us all. Since it's a no brainer. Again, if it's a no brainer and you know so much on Allen, why is Washington putting him on trade block/potentially cutting him when they have $50m+ of cap space? And we are supposed to re do his deal, kick the can why? What would his restructure look like? If you can answer these questions, that would help me understand what your plan is for rebuilding this DL and managing a cap when we need to extended several talented core players. Again, if this is a serious no brainer and you seem all in on this move, I'd hope you have alot more to offer than "pair him with Garret".

Look at Philadelphia he says. Well, they draft extremely well. People act like they "bought" their DL, some they did, but it was drafting those monsters inside that made the difference this season. How'd Philly do LY btw? With a draft loaded with DL talent, this is not the time to be "buying" vets/trading for a $16m salary. Why is Washington trading him? Another contender coming off a NFCCG loss?

Not disagreeing, but we also have alot of core guys to extend and will be putting pressure on future cap periods. So in a silo/1 year go all in, sure we can afford it. But that's not the approach Beane is going to do.

How we affording this again? Cue the typical fans pay attention to names, and ignore the value/$ implications on rest of team. I like Jonathan Allen but not at his cap $ for 2025. And we have more extensions to make beyond Shakir. We have 5-6 real bad contracts on this team RN. Beane might be able to fix some of them via pay cut (ie: Von or Daquon), but if not, we are stuck with some of those deals and going to be stuck with dead cap again on the others.

Your last comment on the cap, isn't as simple as that. They could guarantee his salaries in 2026/2027, for example. Those could each be $16m for all we know. Bottom line, it's not $32m divided 4. Im sure they structured this to hit the hardest cap wise, in 2-3years from now. Beane needs to stop losing so much dead cap, due to poor deals. We have Benford, Groot as locks to be extended. Highly likely for Bernard, and I'd put Cook at 50/50 though hopeful to keep him beyond 2025. Key is hitting on these 1st/2nd round picks...we're eating Elam $ essentially and Kincaid/Coleman need to elevate their game.

I've said many times this offseason, that it's a GREAT year for looking at CB and S in FA. And DL help in the draft. Id be looking to move Elam, sign a solid #2 corner and find a true centerfielder/FS...FA class is pretty stocked with options. More swings at DL, better chance of hitting a homerun. Talent aligns with our picks. We need to draft at least 2 DL, if not 3, with our Day 1 & 2 selections. Depending what is done with Von and Daquon, and possibly AJE. Sign a Slayton type at WR. Our last 2 top picks are Kincaid and Keon. Both these guys need to take a major step up in 2025. There's a reason we brought in an infantry of DL coaching this offseason, I expect alot of resources/draft picks spent on rebuilding that room...along with secondary.

How dare he scrub his social media of Bills references?! This is the hill you die on, wow. Report back this Fall, on your last sentence...

McD/Beane literally say the same about rookies/2nd year players that they are counting on. No different than Elam, Kincaid, Bishop, Cook, Ford, Basham, AJE, Bernard. Motivational tactics, also honest truth. It's up to these young players to put in the offseason work. Bernard, Cook, Benford...all recent examples of players who had similar comments made about them and made HUGE improvements...year 1 to 2, and continue to grow. But for those success stories, you have Basham and Fords of the world, and Elam is the next bust. AJE and Kincaid look like average players right now. Kincaid has untapped potential, but as Beane said, Dalton needs to improve his playing strength. Coleman has a huge spotlight on him, for many reasons. This offseason for him, Bishop, and Dalton are going to be the difference for our team. We need them to be the next young "core" to develop into very good starters.

Get a grip man.... Scrubbed his social media, lol. You might have a problem if you think that's intended as an insult to Buffalo/fans. Take a deep breathe, and realize we have a borderline great RB. If anyone is still clinging to the thought that Ray Davis is taking significant snaps from Cook or anywhere near his skill level, just delusional. Cook is our best playmaker, not named Josh Allen...facts. You don't easily replace his explosiveness/elite vision and quickness. 18 TDs was no accident, and he's shown improvement every season.

37 year old QB, hefty price tag, who isn't "elite"? I'm sure he'd upgrade alot of "middling" teams...like the Steelers. But this isn't Tom Brady leaving New England to Tampa. I think it would be a huge mistake for anyone to trade for him. This is a negotiation tactic by the Rams. Makes no sense for them to move on either, they have a young/talented team who could easily be in the hunt for a title next year if things go their way.