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

[DaVinci]

[AkwiredTste]

2 hours ago, wppete said:

I just checked. Cook has another year left on his contract, whats he talking about? if he wants to hold out let him and fine him like crazy. I think Ray Davis will fill in just OK. Honour your contract!    
 

https://overthecap.com/free-agency/buffalo-bills#google_vignette

I agree, only thing is he's scrubbed his social and ish, negotiations have started. I think he sits if he doesn't get a deal...he has started the hunt and I don't think he would be willing to risk injury...something will get done

[JohnNord]

1 hour ago, Beck Water said:

 

I don't think the Bills much care for it either.  They've previously made clear they don't want to negotiate contracts in public.

 

Beane would extend Cook for the same reason he's extended other players with a year remaining on their contracts:

-players really don't like to play on a 1 year contract because nothing is guaranteed if they get hurt, so the team has a bit more leverage

-the team can talk up getting new money up front/guarantees while the player has the choice "play for us on a 1 year, or take a new contract that might be less than the open market would give you IF you don't get hurt and IF you have another great year

 

Beane will definitely prioritize negotiating with any of the team's FA he wants to re-up, then negotiating with FA, then the draft, before he tries to extend guys who are currently under contract.

 

As far as how he prioritizes extensions, arguably Cook is the one with the most notable stats across the league.  Of the RBs who are top-20 for attempts, he is 16th for yards (reflecting his lower number of attempts, but 5th for Y/A and tied for 1st in TDs. 

I personally feel that Shakir is the least replaceable player simply because of how reliable his hands are and how little else the Bills have at WR, but as a receiver his stats aren't that remarkable.
 

 

I'm not sure, but I think if the Bills want the best pass-protecting RB or the best route-running, receiving RB, Cook is neither - so it's bench time.

I completely trust Brandon Beane to navigate this situation either way.  He has done a nice job of re-signing players early before they hit the market (Spencer Brown) and also passing on players who would command a bigger contract than their value (Tremaine Edmunds).   He also been very good at managing the cap.

These are the highest paid NFL running backs:

 

Christian McCaffrey, $16 million 

Alvin Kamara, $15 million 

Jonathan Taylor, $14 million 

Saquon Barkley, $12.6 million 

Josh Jacobs, $12 million 

Joe Mixon, $9.9 million 

Derrick Henry, $8 million 

D'Andre Swift, $8 million 

Tony Pollard, $7.3 million 

James Conner, $7 million

 

Cook isn’t getting $15 million from any NFL team, including Buffalo.   I think $11M-$12M is most likely and I wouldn’t be surprised if he signs for that amount in Buffalo. 

 

[Ya Digg?]

57 minutes ago, AkwiredTste said:

Dude wants his bag, don't blame him. Offer him between 10-12, if Dalvin doesn't like it, package him up and move on. Defenses win championships, not 45% snap rb's. Don't need the distraction Dalvin!!!

We have bigger needs to fill 

Dalvin? Is this what we’re doing now? 🙄🙄🙄

Edited yesterday at 04:26 AM by Ya Digg?

[AkwiredTste]

5 hours ago, Ya Digg? said:

Dalvin? Is this what we’re doing now? 🙄🙄🙄

Meh...no we, just me. I don't remember you co-writing the post. That you Jimbo?

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

If Beane even entertains this ridiculous crap then I will be extremely disappointed. Cook is nice, but RB is by far the most easy position to replace. Ray Davis has shown ability as an all purpose back and Ty Johnson is one of the best 3rd down backs in the league. I think either one of them could carry the load. Ty Johnson situation reminds me so much of Fred Jackson. He’s just never really been given the chance because of his pedigree and yet produces every limited chance he’s gotten.
 

The numbers don’t lie, TJ has seemingly gotten better the older he gets. Career 4.6 yard avg and 5.2 last year. What really sells me though is his receiving ability & pass blocking. He has potential to be an all purpose threat in the mold of McCaffrey. I am very intrigued on what his numbers would look if given a starter’s amount of touches.

 

I’m not sure why he went so late in the draft. He’s a pretty bulky RB with 4.4 speed. Johnson is only 27 years old and very little wear & tear plus Ray Davis taking some of the load. A 60/40 split would be ideal. I don’t think the Bills would miss a beat and might even improve through the air. The more I think about it, the more comfortable I am with this hypothetical situation. 

Edited 17 hours ago by ChronicAndKnuckles

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

9 hours ago, JohnNord said:

These are the highest paid NFL running backs:

 

Christian McCaffrey, $16 million 

Alvin Kamara, $15 million 

Jonathan Taylor, $14 million 

Saquon Barkley, $12.6 million 

Josh Jacobs, $12 million 

Joe Mixon, $9.9 million 

Derrick Henry, $8 million 

D'Andre Swift, $8 million 

Tony Pollard, $7.3 million 

James Conner, $7 million

Paying a RB 12 million+ is pure insanity to me. What do 3/4 of the bolded have in common? They are lethal receivers that can catch it out of the backfield or split out wide. Cook is an average (at best) receiver & pass blocker. He is one of the better pure runners in football and it is truly magnificent watching him “glide” through holes, but he is still not in the same league as Saquon.
 

I love Cook’s style, he is extremely fun to watch, but I am NOT paying him that money. I would much rather Beane allocate that money towards more important positions like DE, DT, CB, and even Safety. If the Bills didn’t have any major holes then I think they could afford to spend $ on a luxury position like RB, but they do.
 

The defense has YET AGAIN let us down in the post-season. I am extremely baffled by the posters who continually want to throw money at WRs when Buffalo averages over 30 points a game. The problem is so glaring & obvious, I just don’t understand it, but I’m done going off on a tangent.
 

Do NOT give in to James Cook’s demands. Trade his ass if he refuses to honor the contract HE signed. The Bills do not need any distractions this offseason. Criticize Beane & McDermott all you want, but they have built a solid cultural foundation here. They don’t need one of their star players acting like a cranky little toddler w/ his equally idiotic brother chiming in. Sound familiar? 🤔🧐🤨

Edited 17 hours ago by ChronicAndKnuckles

[Ya Digg?]

29 minutes ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

Paying a RB 12 million+ is pure insanity to me. What do 3/4 of the bolded have in common? They are lethal receivers that can catch it out of the backfield or split out wide. Cook is an average (at best) receiver & pass blocker. He is one of the better pure runners in football and it is truly magnificent watching him “glide” through holes, but he is still not in the same league as Saquon.
 

I love Cook’s style, he is extremely fun to watch, but I am NOT paying him that money. I would much rather Beane allocate that money towards more important positions like DE, DT, CB, and even Safety. If the Bills didn’t have any major holes then I think they could afford to spend $ on a luxury position like RB, but they do.
 

The defense has YET AGAIN let us down in the post-season. I am extremely baffled by the posters who continually want to throw money at WRs when Buffalo averages over 30 points a game. The problem is so glaring & obvious, I just don’t understand it, but I’m done going off on a tangent.
 

Do NOT give in to James Cook’s demands. Trade his ass if he refuses to honor the contract HE signed. The Bills do not need any distractions this offseason. Criticize Beane & McDermott all you want, but they have built a solid cultural foundation here. They don’t need one of their star players acting like a cranky little toddler w/ his equally idiotic brother chiming in. Sound familiar? 🤔🧐🤨

Once this comment is used, people lose me. We sit here and demand Von take a pay cut, have another guy restructure, move money to a different spot for this guy…basically saying teams don’t need to honor their contracts. So why do the players always have to honor theirs if teams don’t need to as well? 

[JimBob2232]

I hate these "he should follow the contract he signed" comments.  While I understand the sentiment, thats NOT how NFL contracts work.  Teams routinely sign contracts with players with void years.   Contracts signed are not guaranteed by the team.   First contracts (like James Cook) are largely pre-determined by the league, not a negotiated agreement.  In return, players have the right to use leverage they have (via holdouts etc) to make themselves more guaranteed money.  Thats how the CBA is set up.   Thats what happens in the NFL.  This is also why you dont see this kind of behavior in the MLB  where contracts are fully guaranteed - on both sides.  

 

To be clear, I dont like the way Cook is handling this in public.  Its hurt the team, and hurt his relationship with the fan base.  But he has every right to seek a new agreement - and frankly now is the right time for him to do so.

 

If I was Beane, I wouldn't pony up $15M, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he gets it.  Every year there are new record setting contracts...because the cap keeps going up.  So every contract signed becomes what looks like a gross overpay until you look at it in 3-5 years.   Take Josh Allen. When he signed his deal in 2001 - his $150M guaranteed deal was the most in NFL history, and his $43M AAV was 2nd only to Mahomes...now he is #14 in AAV below Deshawn Watson, Jordan Love, Goff, Tua, Cousins and Murray.  

 

So $15M is probably a good asking price for him.   A agree with the sentiment here though.  I'd give him $12M or move him for a 2nd round pick if you can get it.  If you cant, you're in a box.  One that he started (publicly).

[EasternOHBillsFan]

23 minutes ago, Ya Digg? said:

Once this comment is used, people lose me. We sit here and demand Von take a pay cut, have another guy restructure, move money to a different spot for this guy…basically saying teams don’t need to honor their contracts. So why do the players always have to honor theirs if teams don’t need to as well? 

 

Ever heard of holdouts? Trade demands? They happen all the time and players use their leverage. Restructuring is OPTIONAL.

 

PS: Not one of those "honor your contract" fans.

Edited 16 hours ago by EasternOHBillsFan

[extrahammer]

I would be 

10 hours ago, JohnNord said:

 

 

Cook isn’t getting $15 million from any NFL team, including Buffalo.   I think $11M-$12M is most likely and I wouldn’t be surprised if he signs for that amount in Buffalo. 

 

 

I wouldn't be surprised either if it goes lower to $10m. I really think he's just using a negotiation tactic called anchoring and he's set his ceiling, so basically anywhere between what he's making now ($5.6m?) and $15 mil per year is the spectrum that he's established based on taking this public. Which I also think he did strategically because about half or more of the fanbase believes he should get what he wants and that being public will put more pressure on the team to do something. I think they should try to sign him for $10m - $12m per year, but his reps should go up. The tier of RB's he wants to be with are getting 40+ touches a game in a lot of cases and the most he did last year was half of that. If they trade him for a good deal, I'm totally fine with that too. I don't think he's done anything to risk the chemistry of the team yet. 

[colin]

15 hours ago, Low Positive said:

Running backs don't get paid anymore. Even the best ones can't break 10 million while average WRs make over 20 million. They are all working together to raise the pay of the position as a whole, especially for those who are exceptional talents. Cook's statements are just a part of that broader process. 

 

i think the trend is correct, but it's gone too far in both directions.  way too much on wrs (gabe davis getting like 15 or so is bananas), and rbs are a little undervalued IMO (henry and saquan both being available in an offseason is crazy work).

[Niagara Dude]

The Bills' rushing success last season was a team effort. While Cook was a primary contributor, Josh Allen, Davis, and Johnson played significant roles. 

 

It's important to consider Cook's snap percentage when evaluating his contract. Since becoming the starter, he played 55% of offensive snaps in 2023 and only 48% in 2024. This 2024 figure ranked 38th among running backs, considerably lower than league leaders and other top performers.

 

Among the highest-paid running backs in 2024, only David Montgomery had a lower snap percentage than Cook due to sharing the backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs. 

 

Beane faces tough decisions this offseason regarding contract extensions. Considering Cook's snap percentage and the contributions of other players, it's reasonable to argue that prioritizing Cook's extension over Christian Benford, Greg Rousseau, Terrel Bernard, and Khalil Shakir may not be the optimal strategy. For me priority should be Shakir/Benford if he is healthy, Bernard, Rousseau and lastly Cook.  

 

This is not because I don't like Cook,  I think he is very talented.  I just don't think he is someone we could not replace in this coming draft so we don't have to overpay him. I also strongly believe you need a top receiver and passing game to win come playoff time. Look at the Super Bowl,  the Chiefs totally shut Barkley but could not shut down Eagles receivers.  I love Collins and even Shakir, but the Bills and Beane need to get Allen a #1 receiver and a defence that can get more stops.

[davefan66]

Watching Bills Ravens Divisional.

 

I love Cook.

 

Ty Johnson had some great plays. Enough that helped us win.

 

Ray Davis only had a few runs. Those runs looked really good. Vision was pretty good.

 

Don’t see the Bills breaking the bank for Cook  Feel the Bills are just fine with not paying Cook and going with a two back attack.  Unless Davis takes off next season and becomes the go to.

 

Cook has no leverage.  Needs to play to toll a season.  Also, the bills could tag him if they love him that much.  He’s not going anywhere unless the Bills want him gone.

 

 

 

 

[3rdand12]

9 hours ago, JimBob2232 said:

I hate these "he should follow the contract he signed" comments.  While I understand the sentiment, thats NOT how NFL contracts work.  Teams routinely sign contracts with players with void years.   Contracts signed are not guaranteed by the team.   First contracts (like James Cook) are largely pre-determined by the league, not a negotiated agreement.  In return, players have the right to use leverage they have (via holdouts etc) to make themselves more guaranteed money.  Thats how the CBA is set up.   Thats what happens in the NFL.  This is also why you dont see this kind of behavior in the MLB  where contracts are fully guaranteed - on both sides.  

 

To be clear, I dont like the way Cook is handling this in public.  Its hurt the team, and hurt his relationship with the fan base.  But he has every right to seek a new agreement - and frankly now is the right time for him to do so.

 

If I was Beane, I wouldn't pony up $15M, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he gets it.  Every year there are new record setting contracts...because the cap keeps going up.  So every contract signed becomes what looks like a gross overpay until you look at it in 3-5 years.   Take Josh Allen. When he signed his deal in 2001 - his $150M guaranteed deal was the most in NFL history, and his $43M AAV was 2nd only to Mahomes...now he is #14 in AAV below Deshawn Watson, Jordan Love, Goff, Tua, Cousins and Murray.  

 

So $15M is probably a good asking price for him.   A agree with the sentiment here though.  I'd give him $12M or move him for a 2nd round pick if you can get it.  If you cant, you're in a box.  One that he started (publicly).

This covers it for me as well, Expand for bolded ^

[3rdand12]

21 minutes ago, davefan66 said:

Watching Bills Ravens Divisional.

 

I love Cook.

 

Ty Johnson had some great plays. Enough that helped us win.

 

Ray Davis only had a few runs. Those runs looked really good. Vision was pretty good.

 

Don’t see the Bills breaking the bank for Cook  Feel the Bills are just fine with not paying Cook and going with a two back attack.  Unless Davis takes off next season and becomes the go to.

 

Cook has no leverage.  Needs to play to toll a season.  Also, the bills could tag him if they love him that much.  He’s not going anywhere unless the Bills want him gone.

 

 

 

 

I guess lets see what comes out when they negotiate . Since he is telling Bills his starting point.
 If he's got a stick up his   craw ? and isn't negotiating in good faith to find a contract , I might say .. time to fly

 There is a reasonable contract in there somewhere.

If he wants it

Edited 7 hours ago by 3rdand12

[davefan66]

8 minutes ago, 3rdand12 said:

I guess lets see what comes out when they negotiate . Since he is telling Bills his starting point.
 If he's got a stick up his   craw ? and isn't negotiating in good faith to find a contract , I might say .. time to fly

 There is a reasonable contract in there somewhere.

If he wants it

He isn’t going anywhere this year. As far as I know, they have to report at some time to count this year against the contract. at the least Bills can use a tag.

 

If he’s setting parameters for negotiations, it’s a pretty wide net. Especially the fact he is signaling other teams his contract demands if there were to be a trade.

 

Bottom line. If the Bills want him, they’ll figure it out.  If not? He’ll be gone.

 

[Jrb1979]

Pay the man. Push the money down the road. The goal is a Super Bowl. 

[DrDawkinstein]

I've been gone a few days. Checking back in on the Joe Marino situation. He ever DM @HerdMentality about the "brand issue"?

[Warriorspikes51]

I’d say 60% chance he’s traded between March and during the draft

2 hours ago, Jrb1979 said:

Pay the man. Push the money down the road. The goal is a Super Bowl. 

I mean yes….but KC traded Hill and proceeded to win 2 SB’s