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

[OZBILLS]

[Kirby Jackson]

11 minutes ago, BeastMaster said:

I had no issue with him wanting to get an extension in the 30-33 million range with about half guaranteed for an additional three years. I do however have an issue with him putting out he wants 15 mil/year to the world and then getting upset cause of some people's reactions on social media.

 

And, yes...now that he has shown this type of behavior I question whether he's the type of guy that the Bills want in their locker room. I question his motivation and whether he wants to win or get paid. Me first guys that cause issues unless they get what they want and team be damned probably aren't the best fit for this roster.

 

Hopefully I'm way off base and we have this all wrong and Cook wants to be here on a deal that works for both sides

So did you question it when he was the best player on offense vs. KC? He certainly didn’t just become “this guy” over the last 3 weeks. So he went from a guy that was the best player on offense vs. KC, and a guy you were willing to give $33M to, to a guy that you now want off of the team because of a couple of social media comments? 🤣🤣

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

4 hours ago, K D said:

What's likely to happen is Cook will say he wants 15m per and the Bills will say ok I'm out and then maybe he holds out and then tests the market and gets 11-12m so sure he got some bad team to slightly overpay but that's why they are a bad team. Nobody is choosing them unless they pay over market and everyone knows that. The Bills used to be that team but luckily we aren't anymore (although the Von contract certainly seemed a little desperate).

 

Lots of these players don’t think ahead or believe in themselves at the very least. On a team with a bad offensive line, he could decrease his production and in turn will decrease his chances of getting a big 2nd contract extension. Also, SB winning players on more popular teams tend to get bigger endorsements and media opportunities. They don’t look at the big picture. RBs don’t get paid much, but fans know them and they tend to be one of the Big 3 most recognizable faces of the offense (QB WR1 RB1.) 

Edited February 13 by ChronicAndKnuckles

[BillsFanForever19]

2 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

So did you question it when he was the best player on offense vs. KC? He certainly didn’t just become “this guy” over the last 3 weeks. So he went from a guy that was the best player on offense vs. KC, and a guy you were willing to give $33M to, to a guy that you now want off of the team because of a couple of social media comments? 🤣🤣

 

There's a lot of cranky old people on this board who just don't understand the times. They see what has become standard operating procedure in today's day and age for high profile players who are upset with their negotiations as an insult to them personally, a sign of immaturity, and a mark on their character.

 

That's not what it is. Every single year, you'll see a handful or more of players doing this when their negotiations aren't going well or they're unhappy with their situation. Like I said, it's become standard operating procedure. Back in the day, they'd leak things to the press. Nowadays, they don't have to. Social media changed everything. 

 

My favorites are the ones that like to compare an NFL player to themselves and say like "if I did something like this at my job - i'd be fired". Like it's remotely comparable 😄

[HardyBoy]

9 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

 

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

 

I guess, but their importance in the offense has also been decreasing up until this year or last year... offense are playing bigger personnel again to take advantage of smaller defenses that were designed to stop spread offenses.

 

Also, I'm not really sure supply and demand applies fully...first scheme fit is super important, because finding strong offensive line talent is hard, and think about how both Moss and Singletary struggled running run schemes they weren't the strongest at...and how the Bills offensive line had weak links in zone and weak links in gap (Kromer is amazing in terms of building lines around individuals strengths and not forcing players to do things they're not good at).

 

Second, agents are super influential and they set expectations.

[Einstein's Dog]

1 hour ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

There's a lot of cranky old people on this board who just don't understand the times. They see what has become standard operating procedure in today's day and age for high profile players who are upset with their negotiations as an insult to them personally, a sign of immaturity, and a mark on their character.

 

That's not what it is. Every single year, you'll see a handful or more of players doing this when their negotiations aren't going well or they're unhappy with their situation. Like I said, it's become standard operating procedure. Back in the day, they'd leak things to the press. Nowadays, they don't have to. Social media changed everything. 

 

My favorites are the ones that like to compare an NFL player to themselves and say like "if I did something like this at my job - i'd be fired". Like it's remotely comparable 😄

The counterpoint to this is many people said the Diggs social media meant nothing.  That we should not try to read into it.

 

J Cook is publicly negotiating before he meets with the team?  He's either incredibly self-absorbed or an idiot.  Maybe both.

[Thurman#1]

On 2/12/2025 at 1:28 PM, ghostwriter said:

He’s worth it. He should be a priority. He’s worth every penny. If Allen is having a bad game Cook can carry the team.

  

 

Player's side, he's worth it, or close anyway. Team's side, no thanks.

 

Draft another third-rounder. The new guy will play great behind this terrific OL.

 

Too many other key guys coming due the same year.

 

 

1 hour ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

There's a lot of cranky old people on this board who just don't understand the times. They see what has become standard operating procedure in today's day and age for high profile players who are upset with their negotiations as an insult to them personally, a sign of immaturity, and a mark on their character.

 

That's not what it is. Every single year, you'll see a handful or more of players doing this when their negotiations aren't going well or they're unhappy with their situation. Like I said, it's become standard operating procedure. Back in the day, they'd leak things to the press. Nowadays, they don't have to. Social media changed everything. 

 

My favorites are the ones that like to compare an NFL player to themselves and say like "if I did something like this at my job - i'd be fired". Like it's remotely comparable 😄

 

 

It's not S.O.P.

 

But it's not uncommon.

 

Nothing especially wrong with it.

 

 

Edited February 14 by Thurman#1

[BillsFanForever19]

1 minute ago, Einstein's Dog said:

The counterpoint to this is many people said the Diggs social media meant nothing.  That we should not try to read into it.

 

J Cook is publicly negotiating before he meets with the team?  He's either incredibly self-absorbed or an idiot.  Maybe both.

 

Did I say that his social media means nothing? No. Obviously, if he was liking what he was hearing and felt comfortable with things - he wouldn't be doing that.

 

And how do you know he hasn't met with the team or negotiated with them? That's an assumption. And if I were going to make an assumption here, it would be that the number he and his agent are hearing aren't close to his liking. Thus the public grievance of saying "15 mill year". 

 

"Incredibly self-absorbed or an idiot"? Jesus. Overreaction much? 

[BillytheKid]

I would trade him. No time for anymore Diva’s.

 

He isn’t the 2nd best back in the league. 
 

Without Allen, Cook is nothing anyways. Trade him to a sh** team for an equal player on their defense and see how he likes being a Diva. 

Edited February 14 by BillytheKid

[thenorthremembers]

21 minutes ago, BillytheKid said:

I would trade him. No time for anymore Diva’s.

 

He isn’t the 2nd best back in the league. 
 

Without Allen, Cook is nothing anyways. Trade him to a sh** team for an equal player on their defense and see how he likes being a Diva. 

I would trade him as well.  Good back but he has trouble staying on the field on third downs.   Good player not great.    They need to focus on getting a #1 WR and an Edge who can disrupt games.

[aristocrat]

Rbs coming off a big year. Can beane play this and get a second for him? Replace him with that pick is great cap management especially with our o line. We can manufacture a run game with Allen as long as we get another wide receiver 

[VW82]

Hard No on that. He isn't even a three down back. Great runner. Decent pass catcher out of the backfield. Not a good enough route runner to split him out wide or even from the slot. 

 

If there's a decent trade offer between now and the draft then you pull the trigger and then draft and sign someone. If not, you still sign a productive vet, take it into camp and wait for him to show up in week three after some fines. At no point do you pay him 15m AAV. 

Edited February 14 by VW82

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

give him 11.5M per and call it a day. No reason why we can't keep him and is the best weapon we have right now, if the Eagles can have AJ Brown, Donta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Lane Johnson, Saquan Barkley, Jalen Hurts all under contract on offense there is no reason we can't fit him in under the cap.

[BeastMaster]

2 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

So did you question it when he was the best player on offense vs. KC? He certainly didn’t just become “this guy” over the last 3 weeks. So he went from a guy that was the best player on offense vs. KC, and a guy you were willing to give $33M to, to a guy that you now want off of the team because of a couple of social media comments? 🤣🤣

Why are you highlighting parts you want to use to make your point while ignoring the rest which clearly explains why I think he's probably a me first player looking for as much money as he can get and will cause distractions and whatever else he can if the Bills don't meet his demands

 

So, yeah...it's not just the social media comments. It's that he wants 15 mil per year and he's not an every down back, plus he's gone about this in a way that makes me wary of him and his commitment to the team and his motivations.

 

And Josh Allen was and will always be the best player on the field every game. Cook couldn't even be out there when the game was on the line, my guy. 

 

[Ya Digg?]

1 hour ago, BillytheKid said:

I would trade him. No time for anymore Diva’s.

 

He isn’t the 2nd best back in the league. 
 

Without Allen, Cook is nothing anyways. Trade him to a sh** team for an equal player on their defense and see how he likes being a Diva. 

I would trade him but not because he’s a “diva” (he’s not at all, btw). I’d trade him because his value will never be higher than it is right now.

 

The amount of disingenuous people in this thread who have all of a sudden turned on Cook because he wants to get paid are absurd. Barely a bad thing said about him all season, and now it seems every other post is equating him to Diggs

[ghostwriter]

1 hour ago, Thurman#1 said:

Player's side, he's worth it, or close anyway. Team's side, no thanks.

 

Draft another third-rounder. The new guy will play great behind this terrific OL.

 

Too many other key guys coming due the same year.

Fans hold close to the archaic view that RBs are never worth a second contract or a big payday. I think in some cases they are. How are we going to replace 18 TDs? That’s a lot of production that we need to replace. Not to mention that we have to burn a high draft pick in doing so.

[JaCrispy]

If we can get a late 1st round pick for Cook, I’m open to a trade…👍

 

 

Edited February 14 by JaCrispy

[gobills404]

5 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

This feels timely:

 

 

Not really. I’m pretty sure everyone knows that the Pegulas can afford to pay Cook not just $15m a year but even way more than that if they wanted to. Doesn’t mean it’s what’s best for the team.

[That's No Moon]

I'm fine with 15M, but for no longer than 3 years. Not at that position. Never.

[Kirby Jackson]

8 minutes ago, gobills404 said:

Not really. I’m pretty sure everyone knows that the Pegulas can afford to pay Cook not just $15m a year but even way more than that if they wanted to. Doesn’t mean it’s what’s best for the team.

This was more about the cap not Cook. Honestly, it’s a Bengals conversation.