James Cook on IG Live - "15 mill year" EDIT: Scrubbed his IG and Doubled Down on Twitter

[fergie's ire]

I think losing a player like this is the best thing for a team like the Bills.  He is a good back but looks better than he would on other teams because of the Bills O-line and the threat of Allen.  So, if his success sparks interest in him, take advantage of it.  In that scenario, Cook gets paid (which I do not begrudge him at all) and the Bills get assets back which is useful when they have late draft picks and limited salary cap space.  It's how good teams stay on top despite draft order and cap.

[SCBills]

5 minutes ago, Awwufelloff said:

Good rbs get 1 contract after draft deal. I have no issue with him wanting to get paid max that he can, I would be doing the same thing and everyone else here as well… you’re lying if you say you wouldn’t 

Did you know he can do that through his agent and not on social media like a child?

[Kirby Jackson]

 

[Jrb1979]

1 minute ago, SCBills said:

Did you know he can do that through his agent and not on social media like a child?

This is the way the league's players do it now.  Just accept it. 

2 minutes ago, fergie's ire said:

I think losing a player like this is the best thing for a team like the Bills.  He is a good back but looks better than he would on other teams because of the Bills O-line and the threat of Allen.  So, if his success sparks interest in him, take advantage of it.  In that scenario, Cook gets paid (which I do not begrudge him at all) and the Bills get assets back which is useful when they have late draft picks and limited salary cap space.  It's how good teams stay on top despite draft order and cap.

 

It's not about staying on top year after year. It's about having top talent and doing what the Eagles and Rams did. I would trade multiple winning seasons for one Superbowl win. 

[YoloinOhio]

He’s going to go to the highest bidder which is certainly his right but especially at that position, it will be somewhere obscure and terrible with a ton of cap space like Jacksonville and will be forgotten except maybe on fantasy rosters 

[Solomon Grundy]

9 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

If you're a change of pace back in the NFL it means you're typically coming in with a different style than the starter ahead of you 

 

He would be a really good running back at the next level to start as a change of pace back in his career... And then grow into something more 

 

He's not the guy who's ready for 20 carries a game right out the gate for 10 years... He's better suited for seven to 10 carries a game while he adjusts to the NFL 

 

And he has the frame to grow into more.. but just like James Cook need of the work on his pad level the last two seasons.. and he came out this year with low pads braking tackles 

 

He also needs to work on some of his game to become what would be considered a feature back at the NFL level... Though he has the skill set and potential for it

 

There's a lot of running backs going in the second and the third rounds that have the ability to turn into feature backs at the NFL level.. you don't need to spend the top 10 pick on one.. you just need to be patient and develop them 

 

James Cook has that potential he needs to become a better blocker to be a true three down feature back at the NFL level.. if you can't block on 3rd and seven you're never going to be on the field 70% of the time

 

 

 

Neal is decent in pass protection too. I love Neal's vision and acceleration through the holes. Also a good receiver out of the backfield. Like you said, he can spell Davis/Johnson while learning the NFL game. Cook wasn't Jimbo start of his career  

Edited February 13 by Solomon Grundy

[Buffalo_Stampede]

So what’s the compensation?

 

Also, is Ty Johnson and Ray Davis good enough?

[Einstein's Dog]

15 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

This is the way the league's players do it now.  Just accept it. 

 

It's not about staying on top year after year. It's about having top talent and doing what the Eagles and Rams did. I would trade multiple winning seasons for one Superbowl win. 

1.  It's not the way the Bills have done it.  So no, Beane does not have to accept it, he has options.  The top move for Beane would be to trade Cook out of here at the height of Cook's value.  Move a top 10 RB as part of a package for a top tier DL.

 

2.  While it's not about staying on top for you, for many of us we are enjoying this ride.  Keep trying with contenders, don't sell out for a one year wonder.  And mortgaging the future to keep Cook is no guarantee of a Superbowl win.

[BarleyNY]

9 hours ago, klos63 said:

That's just wrong,  that's not how sports works.

New contracts set the price.  Look where Allen ranks in QB salary. Certainly most qbs earning more than he does aren't him.

That’s actually a pretty poor argument in this case. At least for $15M a year. I mean, you’re correct that contracts rise with the rise of the cap. But in this case the numbers don’t really work. Barkley got 3 yr(s) / $37,750,000 last offseason. That’s was as a free agent, something Cook isn’t. He’s also a better player by a fair margin. Cook is a very, very good runner. But he’s not Barkley.

 

So what would Barkley get this season? The 2025 cap isn’t out yet, but expectations are around $275M. That’s about a 7.67% increase. So that contract would be about 3/$40.65M or $13.55M AAV if he signed it this season. But that’s for Barkley who’s a better player and who has a snap count of around 90%, which is about double Cooks’. Let that sink in.

 

So why would Cook get a premium over Barkley rather than a substantial discount?  I’d be happy to tack on an extension of 3-4 years to his current $5.2M season at $10M/season. I’d probably go up to $11M on the new years, but that’s as much as I’d want to see the Bills overpay. A 3 year extension that results in a 4/$37M deal is what he’s worth IMO. If he wants to tack on another year at $13M for 5/$50 to make it look good, then no problem. Most RBs don’t last that long so he’ll never see it. 

Edited February 13 by BarleyNY

[Lost]

8 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Also, is Ty Johnson and Ray Davis good enough?

 

Not if they're keeping the same run first offensive philosophy next season.   Both those backs are great pass catchers.   Ray Davis still spends a little too much time dancing in the backfield for my liking though.   

[Magox]

Who cares that he's posturing in a manner that many fans don't like?   He's not the face of the team, but he is a playmaker.  This was by far his best year and he was highly productive per play.   Going into the year, I would have pegged him with just playing out his contract and replacing him, but I believe in retaining playmakers and he most certainly was.  My view of Cook changed this year.

 

His EPA per carry was 5th in the league.  Only Barkley, Henry, Gibbs and Irving had a higher EPA per play.  

 

And it wasn't just the stats, we saw his value throughout the season.    I suspect next year they will give the rock to Cook at a higher rate than they have in the past as I expect that the Bills won't look to retain Ty Johnson.

 

 

This is what a contract could look like which would make it very manageable for the Bills

 

 

With that said, $15M is what Cook threw out there.  Negotiations usually start off with the entity asking on a higher amount that they don't expect to receive, then the supplier of the contract comes in with a lower amount which the Bills are probably starting off around $10M per year.   I expect that the Bills will end up signing him somewhere in between that amount.   

 

The Bills are looking to win a Superbowl now and if they can sign him around $12.5M per year, that will make the contract extremely affordable in a cap friendly way for the next couple years.   By the time we get to 2027, the cap will probably have expanded by another $40 - $50M from where it was in 2024.

Edited February 13 by Magox

[HardyBoy]

What if the RB market is resetting though? The Cowboys traded Cooper because they didn't want to pay what at the time felt like a huge contract, but would have been excellent value just a couple years later.

 

Cook is a weapon...I know you can find running backs easily on rookie deals in the draft, but they're not going to be weapons. 

 

I'm not saying definitely sign him, but are we splitting hairs a bit between $10m/yr and $15m/yr when the cap is looking like it's going to take a massive jump in the next few years anyway? Obviously that means you're projecting he's going to maintain his level of play over the contract. 

[Jrb1979]

4 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said:

1.  It's not the way the Bills have done it.  So no, Beane does not have to accept it, he has options.  The top move for Beane would be to trade Cook out of here at the height of Cook's value.  Move a top 10 RB as part of a package for a top tier DL.

 

2.  While it's not about staying on top for you, for many of us we are enjoying this ride.  Keep trying with contenders, don't sell out for a one year wonder.  And mortgaging the future to keep Cook is no guarantee of a Superbowl win.

Your first point is why IMO they have never gotten over the hump. They are too focused on culture guys   

 

As far as the second point, you're right it's no guarantee of a Superbowl win but you do need playmakers to get you there.  IMO is something the Bills lack. Look at the past few Super Bowl winners. All have playmakers on both sides of the ball. 

[Captain Hindsight]

15 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

So what’s the compensation?

 

Also, is Ty Johnson and Ray Davis good enough?

Cook is far and away the best back on the roster. He's a really good back, but he's not Barkley or CMC

 

His best comparison was his brother who was a top back in the league for a long time 

[BarleyNY]

14 minutes ago, HardyBoy said:

What if the RB market is resetting though? The Cowboys traded Cooper because they didn't want to pay what at the time felt like a huge contract, but would have been excellent value just a couple years later.

 

Cook is a weapon...I know you can find running backs easily on rookie deals in the draft, but they're not going to be weapons. 

 

I'm not saying definitely sign him, but are we splitting hairs a bit between $10m/yr and $15m/yr when the cap is looking like it's going to take a massive jump in the next few years anyway? Obviously that means you're projecting he's going to maintain his level of play over the contract. 

 

It is highly unlikely we’d see a jump up in RB contracts. Supply of quality running backs has never been higher.

Edited February 13 by BarleyNY

[Gugny]

On 2/11/2025 at 11:24 PM, BillsFanForever19 said:

Frank Gore Jr. chimes in with "U deserve it".

 

Jonathan Taylor makes 14m per and Saquon Barkley makes 12.5m per. 15 is a wild ask.

 

I hope we aren't setting up for an offseason holdout.

 

Update:

 

 

Bye, James. 
 

[CheshireCT]

Given his social media antics, one could guess him and the Bills aren't on the same page.

 

I do wish for him to get a good and fair deal, but I hate these stupid social media games (unfollowing the Bills, removing his profile pic, etc etc etc). All that kind of behavior does is drive a wedge in the future relationship.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

3 minutes ago, CheshireCT said:

Given his social media antics, one could guess him and the Bills aren't on the same page.

 

I do wish for him to get a good and fair deal, but I hate these stupid social media games (unfollowing the Bills, removing his profile pic, etc etc etc). All that kind of behavior does is drive a wedge in the future relationship.

Have they even had discussions yet? Beane doesn’t even know the cap yet. How could he possibly begin to negotiate.

[fergie's ire]

19 minutes ago, Lost said:

 

Not if they're keeping the same run first offensive philosophy next season.   Both those backs are great pass catchers.   Ray Davis still spends a little too much time dancing in the backfield for my liking though.   

Do you remember Cook's rookie year?  Not only did he do a fair amount of dancing but he also couldn't catch until this year.

[klos63]

24 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

That’s actually a pretty poor argument in this case. At least for $15M a year. I mean, you’re correct that contracts rise with the rise of the cap. But in this case the numbers don’t really work. Barkley got 3 yr(s) / $37,750,000 last offseason. That’s was as a free agent, something Cook isn’t. He’s also a better player by a fair margin. Cook is a very, very good runner. But he’s not Barkley.

 

So what would Barkley get this season? The 2025 cap isn’t out yet, but expectations are around $275M. That’s about a 7.67% increase. So that contract would be about 3/$40.65M or $13.55M AAV if he signed it this season. But that’s for Barkley who’s a better player and who has a snap count of around 90%, which is about double Cooks’. Let that sink in.

 

So why would Cook get a premium over Barkley rather than a substantial discount?  I’d be happy to tack on an extension of 3-4 years to his current $5.2M season at $10M/season. I’d probably go up to $11M on the new years, but that’s as much as I’d want to see the Bills overpay. A 3 year extension that results in a 4/$37M deal is what he’s worth IMO. If he wants to tack on another year at $13M for 5/$50 to make it look good, then no problem. Most RBs don’t last that long so he’ll never see it. 

Saquon had 1 , one thousand yard rushing season in his last 5 before signing the Eagles deal.  I think we'd both agree that he's a great RB, but did he deserve that contract based on his last 5 seasons,  also had an ACL in the past, only played 2 full seasons until this year...

Barkley also has 4 void years,  which allows for an overpay.

I doubt Cook will get 15mm anywhere,  just because he tweeted it.

But I still believe he's an elite back that we should make every attempt to sign.