Does James Cook leave or get an extension if he keeps this level of play up?

[hondo in seattle]

1 hour ago, Putin said:

I think having a good running game makes your passing game even better , i believe the plan for this year is to run the ball more we drafted a RB to complement Cook , as of now  we don’t really have a true WR1 hopefully Colman will become that , even with Josh being a unicorn I think McD always wanted to run the ball more , and I don’t think you have to sacrifice that much of your salary cap to have a good running game by paying  James Cook 

 

I agree with pretty much everything you say except perhaps the last line.  I think that remains to be seen.   With Beane up against the cap as it is, I doubt if Beane will want to spend money at that position.  

 

And here's the Catch-22.  If Cook has a great year, Beane will want to re-sign him.  But if Cook has a great year, Beane won't be able to afford to re-sign him.  If Cook has a bad year, then it's an easy to decision to roll with Ray Davis on a cheap rookie contract.  

 

 

[Logic]

18 minutes ago, GASabresIUFan said:

 

Cook was 7th in the NFL in yards receiving by a RB last season (while only 20th in targets) His 10.1 yards per catch was second only to Brian Robinson Jr. 10.2 for the 48 RBs with over 20 catches.  His 4 receiving TDs was 3rd overall behind McCaffery with 7 and Jerome Ford with 5.  He also caught 81.5% of his targets.  His 4.7 yards per carry was 6th of the 35 players with 150 or more carries last season.  

 

Seems to me that it's up to Josh and Brady to get him the ball more in the passing game. 

 

Bottom line:  Cook was 4th in the NFL in rushing yards, 7th in the NFL in receiving yards and 3rd in the NFL in yards from scrimmage.  Enough people.  We have an elite RB and if he continues to play at the this level, he will be getting a 2nd contract with the Bills.  

 

 

It's been a decade since the team that won the Super Bowl had a dynamic, big-contract running back.

The Chiefs are in the midst of a dynasty with guys like CEH and Isiah Pacheco toting the rock.

I just don't think that spending money on an elite, big-money running back is the way that most very good teams are going about things these days. Re-signing Cook to a second contract is certainly not the foregone conclusion that you think it is -- particularly for a team who seems to regularly spend day two and three picks on running backs and who just drafted an RB with a three down skillset a month ago.

[ColoradoBills]

10 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

I agree with pretty much everything you say except perhaps the last line.  I think that remains to be seen.   With Beane up against the cap as it is, I doubt if Beane will want to spend money at that position.  

 

And here's the Catch-22.  If Cook has a great year, Beane will want to re-sign him.  But if Cook has a great year, Beane won't be able to afford to re-sign him.  If Cook has a bad year, then it's an easy to decision to roll with Ray Davis on a cheap rookie contract.  

 

 

 

Beane doesn't need to make a decision about Cook until March of 2026.  Nobody knows what the Bills cap situation will be then.

 

All this speculation about Cook and Davis is so premature.

Bills fans should enjoy having Cook as RB for the next 2 years and look forward to what Davis can bring to the team.

 

In a perfect world (IMO) Cook tears it up the next 2 seasons and leads the league.  Davis plays great too.  Cook moves on with a

huge contract and Beane gets a 3rd round comp.  Davis takes over and then 3rd rounder continues the process.

 

 

[GASabresIUFan]

7 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Beane doesn't need to make a decision about Cook until March of 2026.  Nobody knows what the Bills cap situation will be then.

 

All this speculation about Cook and Davis is so premature.

Bills fans should enjoy having Cook as RB for the next 2 years and look forward to what Davis can bring to the team.

 

In a perfect world (IMO) Cook tears it up the next 2 seasons and leads the league.  Davis plays great too.  Cook moves on with a

huge contract and Beane gets a 3rd round comp.  Davis takes over and then 3rd rounder continues the process.

 

 

I agree with the first part and not the second.  This discussion is way premature.  Injuries, cap, production, other positions of need, talent in the draft etc… will all play into the decision 2 years from now.  
 

However all the arguments against Cook so far aren’t supported by facts.

 

The only real argument against Cook, assuming he stays at or near this level of production, is that RBs have a short shelf life.  That said, RBs that are as good as Cook catching out of the backfield tend to last longer. 
 

As to the second part, Davis and Cook are the same age.  Davis also took significantly more pounding in college as he was the featured back most of his college career.  Cook played in a 3 back platoon at GA, was only the featured back one season.  In fact, Davis had 746 carries in college while Cook has had only 556 between college and the pros (230 at UGA & 326 in Buffalo).  If anyone has more tread left, it’s Cook.

 

 

[ColoradoBills]

2 minutes ago, GASabresIUFan said:

I agree with the first part and not the second.  This discussion is way premature.  Injuries, cap, production, other positions of need, talent in the draft etc… will all play into the decision 2 years from now.  
 

However all the arguments against Cook so far aren’t supported by facts.

 

The only real argument against Cook, assuming he stays at or near this level of production, is that RBs have a short shelf life.  That said, RBs that are as good as Cook catching out of the backfield tend to last longer. 
 

As to the second part, Davis and Cook are the same age.  Davis also took significantly more pounding in college as he was the featured back most of his college career.  Cook played in a 3 back platoon at GA, was only the featured back one season.  In fact, Davis had 746 carries in college while Cook has had only 556 between college and the pros (230 at UGA & 326 in Buffalo).  If anyone has more tread left, it’s Cook.

 

 

 

I accept you points about Cook and his tread wear.  I guess if Cook leads the league in RB production for the next 2 years he would

cost way more than Beane would be willing to pay.  This was my thinking.  My earlier posts were in favor of a Cook 2nd contract, if the

money was right.

[Buffalo03]

On 6/3/2024 at 10:02 AM, GunnerBill said:

I think walk. Davis will have 2 years in the system and can take over, draft another mid round RB that year and keep cycling through. 

 

The ONLY thing that changes the equation is if he becomes a real receiving threat. That could make them re-consider. I don't just mean a decent check down option. I mean Kamara or McCaffrey who teams design pass plays for. I don't see Cook ever being that but if he were then it might tip the balance for them. 

 

Never draft one day 1 either. 

This I disagree with but it has to be a special special kind of talent. 

[GASabresIUFan]

40 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

I accept you points about Cook and his tread wear.  I guess if Cook leads the league in RB production for the next 2 years he would

cost way more than Beane would be willing to pay.  This was my thinking.  My earlier posts were in favor of a Cook 2nd contract, if the

money was right.

I’m a Cook fan.  I had the pleasure of watching him for 4 years at UGA.  
 

However, I am fully on board with the Beane/Brady plan to create good RB group to help preserve Josh and Cook.  I would not be surprised if this past season would be the pinnacle of Cook’s scrimmage yards for his career.  Not because he isn’t capable of giving us even better numbers, but because Brady and the Bills will want to spread the ball around so that no WR, TE or RB is the whole offense (like Diggs was).  They want interchangeable parts (or at least high quality backups) and this is good for the team, and probably for the long-term health of the players.  
 

I’m going to use UGA as a illustration of the plan.  At UGA, Smart utilizes a 3/4 RB committee and a 4/5 WR committee.  I think the last UGA receiver over 1000 yard was AJ Greene.  It’s one of the reasons guys like Burton and Mitchell left.  However, UGA’s depth allows the team to continue to excel despite injuries.  The plan seems to be working, as they have only lost 2 games over the last 3 years and won 2 championships, yet have not had a 1000 rusher or receiver (although Bowers got close twice). 
 

I think this is the direction Beane is heading.  The RB room now features Cook, Davis and Johnson.  Cook is the starter, but Davis and Johnson will see plenty of action.  This will limit Cook’s numbers, but should extend his career.  If I had to guess, Cook will look more and more like Kamara as the years progress and he should earn a 2nd deal, but it won’t be a blockbuster.  I’m more curious if Davis gets a 2nd deal.  

I also think this is something Beane has always wanted.  He drafted Singletary and then Moss the next year, but it didn’t work out. Now he has Cook and Davis.  I like this tandem better.

 

By the way, which was the more surprising stat; that Cook only had 230 carries in college (and was a 2nd rd pick) or the Davis had 746?

Edited June 4 by GASabresIUFan

[ColoradoBills]

1 minute ago, GASabresIUFan said:

I’m a Cook fan.  I had the pleasure of watching him for 4 years at UGA.  
 

However, I am fully on board with the Beane/Brady plan to create good RB group to help preserve Josh and Cook.  I would not be surprised if this past season would be the pinnacle of Cook’s scrimmage yards for his career.  Not because he isn’t capable of giving us even better numbers, but because Brady and the Bills will want to spread the ball around so that no WR, TE or RB is the whole offense (like Diggs was).  They want interchangeable parts and this is good for the team, and probably for the long-term health of the players.  
 

I’m going to use UGA as a illustration of the plan.  At UGA, Smart utilizes a 3/4 RB committee and a 4/5 WR committee.  I think the last UGA receiver over 1000 yard was AJ Greene.  It’s one of the reasons guys like Burton and Mitchell left.  However, UGA’s depth allows the team to continue to excel despite injuries.  The plan seems to be working, as they have only lost 2 games over the last 3 years and won 2 championships, yet have not had a 1000 rusher or receiver (although Bowers got close twice). 
 

I think this is the direction Beane is heading.  The RB room now features Cook, Davis and Johnson.  Cook is the starter, but Davis and Johnson will see plenty of action.  This will limit Cook’s numbers, but should extend his career.  If I had to guess, Cook will look more and more like Kamara as the years progress and he should earn a 2nd deal, but it won’t be a blockbuster.  I’m more curious if Davis gets a 2nd deal.  

I also think this is something Beane has always wanted.  He drafted Singletary and then Moss the next year, but it didn’t work out. Now he has Cook and Davis.  I like this tandem better.

 

 

 

Thanks for the history and your thoughts.  I'm a big Cook fan.  I think a lot of fans are undervaluing him.  He did need to catch a couple of those TD passes.

That's the worse I can say about him.

 

The potential of the RB room is high.  Hope it pans out that way.

 

[Process]

 

Draft a RB on day 3 every 2 years. Fill in with vet min free agents as needed. Rinse, repeat. 

 

Edited June 4 by Process

[SoCal Deek]

I always find it interesting how some folks on here don’t want to pay players yet somehow assume that other teams do. Cook will get what the market suggests at the time. That’ll either be with the Bills or elsewhere, but there’s little chance that Beane will get into a bidding war, much like he didn’t with Edmunds who most would suggest plays a more valuable roster spot. 

[GASabresIUFan]

50 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

I always find it interesting how some folks on here don’t want to pay players yet somehow assume that other teams do. Cook will get what the market suggests at the time. That’ll either be with the Bills or elsewhere, but there’s little chance that Beane will get into a bidding war, much like he didn’t with Edmunds who most would suggest plays a more valuable roster spot. 

The only thing I'd add here is that there is value in keeping your own players.  This is not always an over-riding consideration, but it can tip the scales. 

[bigK14094]

Saquan Barkley didn't get the big pay day.  Cook won't either, but will try and move imho.

[Einstein's Dog]

I think this year is a huge year for Cook.  If the Bills are going to extend him it is easiest to do before his contract ends.  But I think the Bills need to see continued improvement - catch rate, pass-pro and ball security.  Also a factor might be his locker room presence, how he fits the culture and if he picks up more of a leadership position.

 

 

[Buffalo716]

4 hours ago, GASabresIUFan said:

I agree with the first part and not the second.  This discussion is way premature.  Injuries, cap, production, other positions of need, talent in the draft etc… will all play into the decision 2 years from now.  
 

However all the arguments against Cook so far aren’t supported by facts.

 

The only real argument against Cook, assuming he stays at or near this level of production, is that RBs have a short shelf life.  That said, RBs that are as good as Cook catching out of the backfield tend to last longer. 
 

As to the second part, Davis and Cook are the same age.  Davis also took significantly more pounding in college as he was the featured back most of his college career.  Cook played in a 3 back platoon at GA, was only the featured back one season.  In fact, Davis had 746 carries in college while Cook has had only 556 between college and the pros (230 at UGA & 326 in Buffalo).  If anyone has more tread left, it’s Cook.

 

 

Cook wasn't even the featured back ever 

 

Zymir white had more touches than cook his last year... He's steadily got more touches but never was #1 on team 

Edited June 4 by Buffalo716

[FireChans]

5 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Beane doesn't need to make a decision about Cook until March of 2026.  Nobody knows what the Bills cap situation will be then.

 

All this speculation about Cook and Davis is so premature.

Bills fans should enjoy having Cook as RB for the next 2 years and look forward to what Davis can bring to the team.

 

In a perfect world (IMO) Cook tears it up the next 2 seasons and leads the league.  Davis plays great too.  Cook moves on with a

huge contract and Beane gets a 3rd round comp.  Davis takes over and then 3rd rounder continues the process.

 

 

It will be a bad decision to re-sign him no matter what lol

[3rdand12]

On 6/3/2024 at 9:06 AM, Alphadawg7 said:

Bills might be facing a tough decision heading into 2025 if Cook has another good year this year.  Cook will be on the final year of his deal in 2025...so do you think if he keeps playing at a high level they commit to him with an extension or do you think they avoid having an expensive RB and either try and trade him or just let him walk in FA?  

I loathe questions like these. Looking far ahead to find a way to get depressed ?

LOL

If he plays as well as I think he can , he deserves to hit the market , or at least think that way.

and then it will be what the 2025 market is looking like.

 Drafting Davis will force competition.

 

But I just won't get bummed out thinking about Cook leaving Us after playing well (assuming , he lives up to my expectation ) just yet 👍

[Alphadawg7]

3 minutes ago, 3rdand12 said:

I loathe questions like these. Looking far ahead to find a way to get depressed ?

LOL

If he plays as well as I think he can , he deserves to hit the market , or at least think that way.

and then it will be what the 2025 market is looking like.

 Drafting Davis will force competition.

 

But I just won't get bummed out thinking about Cook leaving Us after playing well (assuming , he lives up to my expectation ) just yet 👍

 

Ha, sorry about that.  It is an interesting scenario only because of his position.  Any other position the answer would be simple, yes we would at least try and extend him if he was coming off multiple good seasons.  But that is the conundrum of RB right now...just has not been a good outcome paying a RB a big contract in the modern NFL.  So be interesting to see what his market is and where that falls in where Beane is comfortable or not comfortable getting to.   

[3rdand12]

6 hours ago, Logic said:

It's been a decade since the team that won the Super Bowl had a dynamic, big-contract running back.

The Chiefs are in the midst of a dynasty with guys like CEH and Isiah Pacheco toting the rock.

I just don't think that spending money on an elite, big-money running back is the way that most very good teams are going about things these days. Re-signing Cook to a second contract is certainly not the foregone conclusion that you think it is -- particularly for a team who seems to regularly spend day two and three picks on running backs and who just drafted an RB with a three down skillset a month ago.

If we are still speaking about Cook here

I don't quite agree he will become elite necessarily and will have a rewarding but reasonable next contract if things go my way. Yea I am a fan of Cooks potential.

Looking forward to Davis as well 

That a pretty decent backfield on paper

 With Ty in the wings

[NewEra]

6 hours ago, GASabresIUFan said:

I agree with the first part and not the second.  This discussion is way premature.  Injuries, cap, production, other positions of need, talent in the draft etc… will all play into the decision 2 years from now.  
 

However all the arguments against Cook so far aren’t supported by facts.

 

The only real argument against Cook, assuming he stays at or near this level of production, is that RBs have a short shelf life.  That said, RBs that are as good as Cook catching out of the backfield tend to last longer. 
 

As to the second part, Davis and Cook are the same age.  Davis also took significantly more pounding in college as he was the featured back most of his college career.  Cook played in a 3 back platoon at GA, was only the featured back one season.  In fact, Davis had 746 carries in college while Cook has had only 556 between college and the pros (230 at UGA & 326 in Buffalo).  If anyone has more tread left, it’s Cook.

 

 

Part 1-  that’s not the only argument.  Price tag is the argument.  The only argument.

 

Part 2-  tread has nothing to do with it-  years left on the rookie contract is the only factor-

 

money-  

 

I get you’re probably a UGA fan and are hoping to keep him.  I love James Cook and think he could be special -  I just don’t think paying a hefty RB contract is part of Beanes plan.  If he’ll settle for 6-7M- maybe.  We’ll see where the RB market is in two years .  

Edited June 4 by NewEra

[3rdand12]

5 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Ha, sorry about that.  It is an interesting scenario only because of his position.  Any other position the answer would be simple, yes we would at least try and extend him if he was coming off multiple good seasons.  But that is the conundrum of RB right now...just has not been a good outcome paying a RB a big contract in the modern NFL.  So be interesting to see what his market is and where that falls in where Beane is comfortable or not comfortable getting to.   

Its a good subject for sure !

 

2 hours ago, bigK14094 said:

Saquan Barkley didn't get the big pay day.  Cook won't either, but will try and move imho.

yea

 But the Giants sucked

and will still suck.

They gave SB mercy letting him go

 

Bills are on the rise still !