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

[NastyNateSoldiers]

If he wants 15mil tell him to find a team that would give him that and we'll be happy to trade him there. 

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, Kirby Jackson said:

 

 

Lol, that’s the entire point!! How much would you have paid him per year if you never heard what he wanted? If the answer is $10M+ which it obviously is from pretty much everyone, what’s so different other than you now know (which is extremely common btw)? Is he less important to the team now? He was great down the stretch and isn’t easily replaced. His teammates love him. People NOW want to replace him because he scrubbed his social media? 🤣🤣 That’s so ridiculous. 🤣🤣

 

BigDingus doesn't pay him, so why does this matter?  Agents are paid to get their clients paid.  Posting and then scrubbing demands from social media is the worst way to begin negotiations--it signals to the Bills that the agent isn't in control of his client--- It will no doubt make Beane more aggressive in his lower offer. 

 

 

[UKBillFan]

28 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Okay, so you don’t like the way that he handled it. Does that now mean that we shouldn’t pay him? Is he less important to the team? Do you think that this is the first that the team is hearing about it? Do you think that players look at him less favorably for this (spoiler: they don’t)? The Bills certainly knew this before he balled out against KC. The only things that’s changed is that fans now know. MANY on this board, have gone from “he’s been great” to “get him out of here” because he scrubbed his social media!! Lol, everyone knew he’d ask for money. All that’s changed is that we now know. The reactions from many on here are asinine. @BigDingus hit the nail on the head.

 

It depends on the impact on the locker room. You assume it will have none; on purely the salary situation you may be right. But he's now shown himself to be someone who is happy to parade agitation or upset with the team on social media. Remember what happened with a certain WR when he showed a willingness to do that, and the impact it especially had on Josh?

 

I'm not saying Cook will be like that when it comes to play calls, player relationships etc. But it seems more likely than it did before and IMO should be something else taken into consideration.

[Gigs]

On 2/11/2025 at 11:43 PM, ghostwriter said:

I have no idea how much he will get paid but I do think Beane should exhaust all options to convince him to stay long term.

 

Bills fans are looking at this the wrong way. They see a RB, I see a weapon. Whenever we can add a weapon I think we should do it.

 

Barkley certainly helped the Eagles in a profound way this year, did he not?

Barkley was pretty much a HoF bell cow out of college, and James Cook was a 3rd down gadget receiving back from one of the most loaded college teams in the country. 

 

He can't block and he can't catch but he's fast. If he could block or catch he'd be worth closer to 15 mil but not more than Saquon or Taylor

[Pete]

Trade James for high draft pick.  Draft his replacement.   This draft is loading at DL and RB

[EasternOHBillsFan]

5 hours ago, BillytheKid said:

He unfollowed the Bills on his social media and took everything down related to the Bills.

 

To me that’s being a Diva. Everyone can have their own opinion though.

 

I have no time for cancers on the team. That will ruin the team faster than anything. 

 

That's my opinion as well... no time for people who act out like that and pitch a fit. It is the sort of behavior that got Stef traded, and if he want to follow suit then by all means let's trade him.

[vanhalen26]

We just spent a year in cap jail to shed attitude like this.  No thanks.

 

Even last year it felt like it’s all about the $$ with him.  He’d also accept paid photo and autograph signing opportunities, and look completely disinterested.  Yes, nothing to do with football - but he just always seemed to project this to me.

 

He’s talented, no doubt there.  But I think the very good O line plus having a player like Josh who is also a run threat + can extend plays all combined to put him in the perfect spot to help him to such a statistically strong year.  If he goes somewhere else, I’d suspect his production would drop significantly.

 

I’d probably reluctantly trade him.  I don’t think he’s worth the $.  Pay him less and you’ve got a sulker on the team.  Meet his demand and you’ve opened the door to more of this from others.  This team would be better served by over investing in WR or the leaky D vs running back.  

[Warriorspikes51]

38 minutes ago, Pete said:

Trade James for high draft pick.  Draft his replacement.   This draft is loading at DL and RB

If anyone wants to offer a 1st, trade him.  Otherwise he's either part of a package deal or he holds out of camp IMO
 

If the Chiefs even make a phone call....just pay him what he wants to keep him😂

Edited February 14 by Warriorspikes51

[Kirby Jackson]

45 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

BigDingus doesn't pay him, so why does this matter?  Agents are paid to get their clients paid.  Posting and then scrubbing demands from social media is the worst way to begin negotiations--it signals to the Bills that the agent isn't in control of his client--- It will no doubt make Beane more aggressive in his lower offer. 

 

 

Lol, no it won’t. Beane knows the numbers. Beane knows roughly where it will end up and knows where the Bills will be willing to go. This has ZERO impact on the negotiation. He might be a little annoyed but he’s not biting off his nose to spite his face. The real world doesn’t work like Draft Day with Kevin Costner. It’s not that dramatic. Cook scrubbing social media has ZERO impact as to whether he is here or not. If he has a hard line at $13M and the Bills have a hard line at $10M he may not be here. How it has been handled isn’t a factor.

50 minutes ago, UKBillFan said:

 

It depends on the impact on the locker room. You assume it will have none; on purely the salary situation you may be right. But he's now shown himself to be someone who is happy to parade agitation or upset with the team on social media. Remember what happened with a certain WR when he showed a willingness to do that, and the impact it especially had on Josh?

 

I'm not saying Cook will be like that when it comes to play calls, player relationships etc. But it seems more likely than it did before and IMO should be something else taken into consideration.

I spent a bunch of years around a pro locker room. I can count on zero hands how many times a guy wanting more money was a negative in the locker room. In fact, it is the opposite. They WANT their teammates paid. Fans get annoyed by how it’s handled not players.

[Mat68]

11 minutes ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

 

That's my opinion as well... no time for people who act out like that and pitch a fit. It is the sort of behavior that got Stef traded, and if he want to follow suit then by all means let's trade him.

Players cant hold out.  This is pretty standard practice.  Why do fans get so in their feelings about players working billion dollar corporations of every dollar possible?  He deserves a pay raise and is eligible for an extension.  Rb has been diminished monetarily the last decade.  They have to fist fight for fair market deals. Wish the best for Cook whether he gets that in Buffalo or otherwise. Why do many have to question his character.  Him getting a deal impacts the next guy getting theirs.  It’s his obligation to the game to get the best deal.  This doesn't make him a bad teammate or means he has ill will towards the city or team. 

[vanhalen26]

Trade him to the jets.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

12 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

If anyone wants to offer a 1st, trade him.  Otherwise he's either part of a package deal or he holds out of camp IMO
 

If the Chiefs even make a phone call....just pay him what he wants to keep him😂

Again, I find it hard to believe he’ll pull a Le’Veon Bell. 
 

Also, the Bills are a loyal franchise and at minimum they’ll bump his salary. 
 

I doubt they went into the year end press conference totally unaware that Cook wants a new deal. 
 

The Bills couldn’t extend his deal until this offseason anyways so how could there be all this built up animosity?

[extrahammer]

I will say, I don't care about the player's behavior unless he did something against the law. I've watched too many damn games to sweat over things like that. I just want to win. Period. 

[DaVinci]

11 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

Him getting a deal impacts the next guy getting theirs.  It’s his obligation to the game to get the best deal.  This doesn't make him a bad teammate or means he has ill will towards the city or team. 

Its the manner in which he's doing it.

[Mat68]

Why cant Allen play with elite players? He can but fans should not want a poverty franchise mind set.  Keep the best players drafted and developed in Buffalo.  Paying guys at or near top of market is  a good things.  It means their play warrants it or they have the ability to exceed it.  Let the Cook thing play out.  I think Beane will be aggressive trying to keep him.  Wanting 15 is a pretty steep increase over Barkley.  Though age and injury history are in his favor.  

[BarleyNY]

55 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Lol, no it won’t. Beane knows the numbers. Beane knows roughly where it will end up and knows where the Bills will be willing to go. This has ZERO impact on the negotiation. He might be a little annoyed but he’s not biting off his nose to spite his face. The real world doesn’t work like Draft Day with Kevin Costner. It’s not that dramatic. Cook scrubbing social media has ZERO impact as to whether he is here or not. If he has a hard line at $13M and the Bills have a hard line at $10M he may not be here. How it has been handled isn’t a factor.

I spent a bunch of years around a pro locker room. I can count on zero hands how many times a guy wanting more money was a negative in the locker room. In fact, it is the opposite. They WANT their teammates paid. Fans get annoyed by how it’s handled not players.

I agree with all of this, but have an additional concern. I don’t mind players taking to social media when they have a legitimate gripe and things have come to an impasse. But that raises the question of whether negotiations have hit an impasse or if Cook & co. are pushing things into the public sphere even before they began. If it’s the former, then his expectations seem unrealistic and we probably have a real issue. If it’s the latter, then he may be in the process of creating an issue. It’s no secret that the Bills very much prefer working on extensions like his out of the public eye so this is definitely a shot across the Bills bow. And that does not portend happy days ahead. 

1 hour ago, Pete said:

Trade James for high draft pick.  Draft his replacement.   This draft is loading at DL and RB

The problem is that he’s a RB with one year left on his contract at $5.2M and he wants a new deal at well over market. We’re looking at a day 3 pick. 

Edited February 14 by BarleyNY

[Straight Hucklebuck]

1 minute ago, BarleyNY said:

I agree with all of this, but have an additional concern. I don’t mind players taking to social media when they have a legitimate gripe and things have come to an impasse. But that raises the question of whether negotiations have hit an impasse or if Cook & co. are pushing things into the public sphere even before they began. If it’s the former, then his expectations seem unrealistic and we probably have a real issue. If it’s the latter, then he may be in the process of creating an issue. It’s no secret that the Bills very much prefer working on extensions like his out of the public eye so this is definitely a shot across the Bills bow. And that does not portend happy days ahead. 

What's he going to do? 

 

Sit out all of 2025?

 

Ultimately he doesn't have a ton of leverage other than to be a malcontent. 

 

That's why one option is to draft an RB high - this improves the talent from Ty Johnson, but also insulates the Bills from Cook being used as a bargaining chip.  

 

 

[DrDawkinstein]

Just now, Straight Hucklebuck said:

What's he going to do? 

 

Sit out all of 2025?

 

Ultimately he doesn't have a ton of leverage other than to be a malcontent. 

 

That's why one option is to draft an RB high - this improves the talent from Ty Johnson, but also insulates the Bills from Cook being used as a bargaining chip.  

 

 

 

I know you arent advocating strongly for it, but drafting a RB early would be a major waste of resources. And drafting a RB early to gain leverage in Cook negotiations would almost be a fireable offense. Beane can and will get a deal done. That's the real option. And with that option, folks need to just tune out and not get so worked up over a couple of social media comments. It's like a middle school here in the offseason.

[Warriorspikes51]

3 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

What's he going to do? 

 

Sit out all of 2025?

 

Ultimately he doesn't have a ton of leverage other than to be a malcontent. 

 

That's why one option is to draft an RB high - this improves the talent from Ty Johnson, but also insulates the Bills from Cook being used as a bargaining chip.  

 

 

Ty Johnson is a really quality player IMO

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Just now, Warriorspikes51 said:

Ty Johnson is a really quality player IMO

 

1 minute ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I know you arent advocating strongly for it, but drafting a RB early would be a major waste of resources. And drafting a RB early to gain leverage in Cook negotiations would almost be a fireable offense. Beane can and will get a deal done. That's the real option. And with that option, folks need to just tune out and not get so worked up over a couple of social media comments. It's like a middle school here in the offseason.

 

Yeah understood. 

 

Run it back on offense.