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

[BarleyNY]

56 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Having a good idea and knowing are very different things. If the cap is $5 million higher next year than projected don’t you think that might change a lot?

 

I actually doubt the Bills have begun negotiations with Cook. 

No, $5M additional cap space would not change much. That would be about 2% of the current cap. Teams would just change their calculations for 2025 by 9.6% instead of the expected 7.6%. It’s a moot point anyway because the cap numbers will be out before the new season when they can sign Cook to an extension. It would change my example of a $10.5M/season extension for Cook to $10.7M. Minimal. 

[Dillenger4]

Cook is a weapon! Don't think you will "find" one in the draft that compares. And Ray Davis is so not even close to Cook. I bet we pay Cook $9 million. He's a top 5 back in this league.

[Homelander]

Ray Davis had 20 carries for 97 yards and 3 catches for 55 yards when Cook was out. While Cook is undoubtedly a great running back, paying a running back $15 million a year isn't fiscally prudent.

 

With that said, Cook is getting bad coaching atm and this approach does not sit well with the fans.

[JoshAllin]

If they can still get a game changing edge rusher then sure pay him

Edited February 13 by JoshAllin

[Trust The Process]

Cook isn't worth 15 mil per year or anything near it. Allen makes him look better than he is anyways. We got Davis and this draft is loaded with RB's. 15 mil per is better spent on a DE or WR.

[GunnerBill]

22 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Yeah I've come around to this idea. I respect what James Cook is doing, really I do, but a team paying a QB can't be dealing with a RB hold out. The position just isn't worth the headache. Get like a 3rd/4th for him if possible and go all in on adding downfield passing weapons to make up for it. Then draft his replacement in the middle rounds. This is exactly what KC would do.

 

When the "trade Cook" thread happened last summer I said you are mad to trade a high end running back on a late 2nd round rookie deal while he is still cheap and has two years left but with a year to go the equation changes. Here we now are with a year to go. think you enter into discussions with his side but if you can see you are a distance apart, you absolutely explore what his trade market is. He won't get $20m on the open market so if we wait a year and he walks next year we'd probably be looking at best at a 4th round comp pick in the 2027 draft. If I can bring that pick forward two years and likely upgrade it to a 3rd (which I think is absolutely possible this spring give the last two seasons he had) then I am doing it if he is even thinking about a hold out.

Edited February 13 by GunnerBill

[BillsShredder83]

On 2/12/2025 at 10:16 AM, SCBills said:

Ray Davis and LeQuint Allen is sounding pretty good to me right now.

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/LeQuint-Allen-RB-Syracuse

 

Sign me up!  Projected as a day 3 pick. #13 position ranking

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 13 by BillsShredder83

[Jrb1979]

3 minutes ago, Homelander said:

Ray Davis had 20 carries for 97 yards and 3 catches for 55 yards when Cook was out. While Cook is undoubtedly a great running back, paying a running back $15 million a year isn't fiscally prudent.

 

With that said, Cook is getting bad coaching atm and this approach does not sit well with the fans.

Why is this fanbase so anti diva? It's the way the players are now, especially a lot of the top talent is. Very few teams win with a team full of choir boys.  

[DapperCam]

31 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

Oh, James Cook is the new whipping boy, interesting.

 

And its due to... checks notes... a social media comment, and cleaning up his social media profile.

 

 

Ooooooo k... gonna be a long offseason with yall...

I don’t think he’s a whipping boy. 99% of critical comments here just don’t want to allocate that much cap to him (or any RB for that matter).

[SCBills]

Just now, Jrb1979 said:

Why is this fanbase so anti diva? It's the way the players are now, especially a lot of the top talent is. Very few teams win with a team full of choir boys.  

If we had Ja’Marr Chase, by all means.. be a diva. 
 

We don’t. 
 

James Cook isn’t even Saquan Barkley or Derrick Henry, let alone an elite player at a premium position. 

[DrDawkinstein]

3yr/$36M extension, $20M guaranteed. Then we have him at a reasonable price through his prime (29 yrs old).

 

And after that he still has time to go sign another high-priced contract with some desperate team like the Raiders.

[Homelander]

Just now, Jrb1979 said:

Why is this fanbase so anti diva? It's the way the players are now, especially a lot of the top talent is. Very few teams win with a team full of choir boys.  

 

It's a distraction and so uncharacteristic of Cook.

[SCBills]

9 minutes ago, Jrb1979 said:

Why is this fanbase so anti diva? It's the way the players are now, especially a lot of the top talent is. Very few teams win with a team full of choir boys.  

We’re not “anti-diva” 

 

Were anti-diva with a guy like Diggs who never stepped up when it matters and we’re anti-diva with a Running Back that’s not even a 3 down back, let alone on the level of Saquan or Henry. 
 

We’re sick of paying good, not great, players and then those players never step up when it matters. 
 

Cook did, but he’s a RB and we currently have zero outside weapons that scare anyone .. that’s of far more importance 
 

We can’t just keep paying guys at non-premium positions and good/not great guys at premium positions big money and then expect to overtake KC in the AFC

 

Edited February 13 by SCBills

[Goin Breakdown]

When I got rid of my social media my wife thought I was leaving her too. I get ya James. 

[GunnerBill]

1 minute ago, SCBills said:

We’re not “anti-diva” 

 

Were anti-diva with a guy like Diggs who never stepped up when it matters and we’re anti-diva with a Running Back that’s not even a 3 down back, let alone on the level of Saquan or Henry. 
 

We’re sick of paying good, not great, players and then those players never step up when it matters. 
 

We can’t just keep paying guys at non-premium positions and good/not great guys at premium positions big money and then expect to overtake KC in the AFC

 

I don't think you can accuse Cook of not stepping up when it matters. I am not lobbying to pay him, but he was the Bills best player in the AFCCG. Don't disrespect that.

[PayDaBill$]

My Dad taught me years back, negotiating 101; if you’re a buyer start low you can always go up, if you’re selling start high, you can always go down.  You almost always settle.

 

We’ll see I think he’ll be back & it won’t be a $15m.

Edited February 13 by PayDaBill$

[Mango]

1 hour 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. 

 

This is a good breakdown of my thought. 

I think Cooks actual fair value (compared to other backs in the league) is about $8-$10M. But I understand that these players like to reset the market every year. So my stretch number is $12M. 

I would go to $15M on a player I thought whose base value was $12M. But going to $15M on a players whose base value I think could be under $10M is a stretch. Especially when you are paying the QB. 

That said, I do agree @Kirby Jackson in principal. I am like 87% of the way there. But I am having trouble getting myself across the finish line. I think paying him $15M AAV long term is a move that either gets this roster across the finish line, or becomes a bullet point in cost that holds other position groups back. Paralysis by analysis. 

[SoonerBillsFan]

8 minutes ago, Homelander said:

 

It's a distraction and so uncharacteristic of Cook.

He is listening to his washed up brother. 

[SCBills]

3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I don't think you can accuse Cook of not stepping up when it matters. I am not lobbying to pay him, but he was the Bills best player in the AFCCG. Don't disrespect that.

I amended my post to acknowledge that

 

My issue with him is that he’s a RB acting this way, wanting this money, while we currently have zero outside weapons that scare anyone and a huge talent deficit on Defense

 

So, for me, the solution to our KC problem cannot be paying big money to a RB and 3 defenders currently on that talent devoid defense (Rousseau, Bernard, Benford)

 

Pay those 4 and we just continue down this path unless Beane starts hitting grand slams in the Draft. 

[DaVinci]

Offer 10M. If he doesn't want it trade him or he can sit for a year. The reason this fan base doesn't like divas is because we are blue collar bring you're lunch pal to work people.

Edited February 13 by DaVinci