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

[Doc Brown]

4 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Which would be his worth as a comp pick if he leaves next year in FA.

Probably but his stock is at an all time high right now and it may plummet by this time next year.  It also depends on how many free agents we sign next year.

[Buffalo716]

6 hours ago, Einstein's Dog said:

As an aside, based on your comment earlier in the thread and realizing this hold out is a real possibility, I have reduced my trade value.  Before I couldn't see moving him unless it was a second but now I won't blame Beane for trading for less - this could get ugly and Beane may want to bail.  This is unfortunate, just when you're in a position to get good value this happens.

He's a running back.. a small one and not a true feature back at that lol

 

His value is not as much as people would think on the open market with a trade 

 

Sure in free agency could he maybe get 13 to 15 million by a desperate team? Sure

 

His trade value has always been not much..  even before these demands we would have been lucky to get a third rounder... You'd be better off trading him for a player who also does not want to play in their current situation if they would deal 

 

Going into the last year of his deal with what he wants nobody's going to give up a third

 

You run him into the ground.. collect a compensation pick and say sayonara

Edited Monday at 10:35 PM by Buffalo716

[ColoradoBills]

8 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

Going into the last year of his deal with what he wants nobody's going to give up a third

 

You run him into the ground.. collect a compensation pick and say sayonara

 

if Cook wants what he says, this is what you do.

Beane has given his number no doubt.  The ball is in Cook's court.  

[Buffalo716]

1 minute ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

if Cook wants what he says, this is what you do.

Beane has given his number no doubt.  The ball is in Cook's court.  

It's a business at the end of the day... He's under contract, I run his ass into the ground 

 

You make him earn his entire paycheck next season...  not that he hasn't... But I'm running him till the wheels fall off 

 

I know that might sound dark but that's the business of the NFL.. and football in general 

 

90% of running backs, even good ones do not have long shelf life.. they're never as fast as the day they leave college 

 

That's one thing my father was really ahead of the game on coaching in the '70s and '80s and '90s... That there's a lot of running backs who can have a high quality of play with a short shelf life

[ColoradoBills]

5 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

It's a business at the end of the day... He's under contract, I run his ass into the ground 

 

You make him earn his entire paycheck next season...  not that he hasn't... But I'm running him till the wheels fall off 

 

I know that might sound dark but that's the business of the NFL.. and football in general 

 

90% of running backs, even good ones do not have long shelf life.. they're never as fast as the day they leave college 

 

That's one thing my father was really ahead of the game on coaching in the '70s and '80s and '90s... That there's a lot of running backs who can have a high quality of play with a short shelf life

 

Agree, he is under contract.  Brady should use him in the way that gives the Bills the best chance to win.

[Buffalo716]

5 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

Agree, he is under contract.  Brady should use him in the way that gives the Bills the best chance to win.

I'm sure he will 

 

But just like dalvin wasn't a long term productive runner I don't see it in James especially at that price 

 

It was a tremendous pick at the time because he gave us what we didn't.. a home run threat out of the backfield 

 

Now we have a really good offensive line, and we can look for another big play threat that we don't have to play 15mil

[MasterStrategist]

9 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

I'm sure he will 

 

But just like dalvin wasn't a long term productive runner I don't see it in James especially at that price 

 

It was a tremendous pick at the time because he gave us what we didn't.. a home run threat out of the backfield 

 

Now we have a really good offensive line, and we can look for another big play threat that we don't have to play 15mil

To me it's less about the $15m, more about the guaranteed $.  And there's no promise we're hitting on another back of Cooks level, likely looking to spend a 2nd round pick.

 

I'd do 3 years max $39m, gtd = $24m.  That would give him top 5 $ for gtd, and $13 is a fair AAV--- given projected cap increases.

 

Jimbo has low tread, unlike what Dalvin had at this point.  Jimbo has 3 more elite seasons, minimum, and is also an ascending player IMO.  He's worth that level of $.  Most of his explosive runs were due to his elite acceleration.  This isn't some elite OL in the run game, just alot better than we've had.  Cook had one of the better yards after contact per carry LY.

[Buffalo716]

20 minutes ago, MasterStrategist said:

To me it's less about the $15m, more about the guaranteed $.  And there's no promise we're hitting on another back of Cooks level, likely looking to spend a 2nd round pick.

 

I'd do 3 years max $39m, gtd = $24m.  That would give him top 5 $ for gtd, and $13 is a fair AAV--- given projected cap increases.

 

Jimbo has low tread, unlike what Dalvin had at this point.  Jimbo has 3 more elite seasons, minimum, and is also an ascending player IMO.  He's worth that level of $.  Most of his explosive runs were due to his elite acceleration.  This isn't some elite OL in the run game, just alot better than we've had.  Cook had one of the better yards after contact per carry LY.

There's a lot of really good running backs who get drafted in the second and third rounds all the time lol

 

You literally are acting like James Cook is a first ballad Hall of famer lol he's a small one cut back running behind a good line 

 

And we absolutely have a top five line in the NFL lol Dawkins and Spencer Brown are top five tackles.. there might not be 3 team in the NFL with a pair of top 5 tackles ... Brown is an elite mauler in the running game 

 

Connor McGovern is one of the biggest physically imposing centers in the NFL.. he pushes the line more than most centers... He has O'cyrus Torrance next to him who is literally a phone booth 

 

And David Edwards started on a super bowl Rams team.. if he's the weak link we're really good 

 

Cook is good... You have to remember the NFL is a business... Bucky Irving for the buccaneers when the fourth round and got almost 1,200 yards as a rookie 

 

It's not about are they technically better than James Cook.. it's can you replace some of his statistics with cheaper money 

 

And yes you absolutely can.. I'd give him 33 million over 3 years ... 22-24 gtd... And I'm not negotiating.. there's a lot of talent at running back that you could run into the ground for a few seasons 

 

He's a good player I'm not bending over to meet his demands

 

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 11:45 PM by Buffalo716

[Einstein's Dog]

1 hour ago, Buffalo716 said:

Going into the last year of his deal with what he wants nobody's going to give up a third

 

You run him into the ground.. collect a compensation pick and say sayonara

The problem is Cook may not let himself be run into the ground.  He might not play the first 11 games. 

 

And after that, game 12, you would probably be leery of his motivation and he wouldn't be starting anymore.

[Logic]

18 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

 

Earlier in this thread I talked about this and broke it down. Cook had significantly more snaps, carries and receptions in 2023 than he did in 2024. He looked like he wore down at the end of the ‘23 season and it really showed in the playoffs. It seems the Bills thought the same and reduced his snap count in ‘24 - and it paid off. It looks like that level of workload is where he’s at his best. 

Thanks. It makes sense.

Backs up my notion that he shouldn't receive a big money contract from us.

If you aren't a workhorse three down back, require load management, aren't the 3rd down back, don't pass block well, and are just good (not great) in the passing game...I'm sorry, but I don't want to allocate big money to you. I'd rather spend it on nearly any other position.

Edited Tuesday at 03:52 PM by Logic

[ColoradoBills]

15 hours ago, Einstein's Dog said:

The problem is Cook may not let himself be run into the ground.  He might not play the first 11 games. 

 

And after that, game 12, you would probably be leery of his motivation and he wouldn't be starting anymore.

 

The thing is if Cook does this there is nothing Beane and the Bills can do to stop him.

Their options are:

1.  Let the scenario you mentioned play out.

2.  Trade him at the end of August or beginning of September.

3.  Cut him and save $5.3M in cap.

4.  Cave in and sign him to $15M AAV.

 

I don't think Cook is this stupid, but if he is, oh well.  Trade him or cut your losses.

[Einstein's Dog]

6 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

The thing is if Cook does this there is nothing Beane and the Bills can do to stop him.

Their options are:

1.  Let the scenario you mentioned play out.

2.  Trade him at the end of August or beginning of September.

3.  Cut him and save $5.3M in cap.

4.  Cave in and sign him to $15M AAV.

 

I don't think Cook is this stupid, but if he is, oh well.  Trade him or cut your losses.

There are other options:

 

1.  They could trade Cook before/during the 2025 draft.  This would signal the FO is fearing the worst - Cook not playing until week 11 - and not waiting for it to play out.  If they move Cook during the draft they could use a 4th (or package a slight trade up) to get another cheap, young RB.

 

2.  They could add some incentives for this year.  Like additional money for games played, over 1,000 yards etc.  Incentivize Cook for the 2025 season before he walks.

[ColoradoBills]

4 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said:

There are other options:

 

1.  They could trade Cook before/during the 2025 draft.  This would signal the FO is fearing the worst - Cook not playing until week 11 - and not waiting for it to play out.  If they move Cook during the draft they could use a 4th (or package a slight trade up) to get another cheap, young RB.

 

2.  They could add some incentives for this year.  Like additional money for games played, over 1,000 yards etc.  Incentivize Cook for the 2025 season before he walks.

 

1.  Teams would have to give Cook an extension or they would face the same issues of him "holding out".

This gets back to the discussions Beane and his agent have had.  If it's that bad, they need to announce he is up for a trade now so

any deal can be worked out before draft day.

 

2.  Cook is already on a PPE salary increase.  Giving him more incentives on a rookie contract IMO sets a bad precedent for future players.

 

Just my opinion.  FWIW.

[DrMaxPower]

This is the wrong year to try and trade a RB.

 

I read Daniel Jeremiah say it's the best RB class he can remember. You'll be able to pluck very good players in the 4th and 5th rd. Nobody is giving up a pick for the privilege of paying him 15 per. You'll be able to draft people 90% as good for 5% of the cost.

 

Most likely scenario is he plays out the season and either moves on or is tagged.

[MasterStrategist]

23 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

There's a lot of really good running backs who get drafted in the second and third rounds all the time lol

 

You literally are acting like James Cook is a first ballad Hall of famer lol he's a small one cut back running behind a good line 

 

And we absolutely have a top five line in the NFL lol Dawkins and Spencer Brown are top five tackles.. there might not be 3 team in the NFL with a pair of top 5 tackles ... Brown is an elite mauler in the running game 

 

Connor McGovern is one of the biggest physically imposing centers in the NFL.. he pushes the line more than most centers... He has O'cyrus Torrance next to him who is literally a phone booth 

 

And David Edwards started on a super bowl Rams team.. if he's the weak link we're really good 

 

Cook is good... You have to remember the NFL is a business... Bucky Irving for the buccaneers when the fourth round and got almost 1,200 yards as a rookie 

 

It's not about are they technically better than James Cook.. it's can you replace some of his statistics with cheaper money 

 

And yes you absolutely can.. I'd give him 33 million over 3 years ... 22-24 gtd... And I'm not negotiating.. there's a lot of talent at running back that you could run into the ground for a few seasons 

 

He's a good player I'm not bending over to meet his demands

 

 

 

 

Long rant .... to basically say you disagree.

 

I think Beane would rather find a way to keep him.  Otherwise, it leaves a big hole at a position group that's become more of a focus in our balanced attack.

[wppete]

On 3/25/2025 at 4:59 PM, DrMaxPower said:

This is the wrong year to try and trade a RB.

 

I read Daniel Jeremiah say it's the best RB class he can remember. You'll be able to pluck very good players in the 4th and 5th rd. Nobody is giving up a pick for the privilege of paying him 15 per. You'll be able to draft people 90% as good for 5% of the cost.

 

Most likely scenario is he plays out the season and either moves on or is tagged.

Yeah i think if he insists on $15million this is his last year with the Bills. Im surprised he hasn’t learned from his brother’s dealings. Good thing we drafted Davis. 

[BillsFanForever19]

On 3/25/2025 at 4:59 PM, DrMaxPower said:

This is the wrong year to try and trade a RB.

 

I read Daniel Jeremiah say it's the best RB class he can remember. You'll be able to pluck very good players in the 4th and 5th rd. Nobody is giving up a pick for the privilege of paying him 15 per. You'll be able to draft people 90% as good for 5% of the cost.

 

Most likely scenario is he plays out the season and either moves on or is tagged.

 

Combine that with RB's having a low trade value to begin with, guys in the last year of their deal having lower trade values, and his angling for top market dollar - yeah, Cook's trade value is much lower than most people who say "trade him" seem to understand.

 

I agree. For what we'd get in return, we're not going to trade him. It's worth more for us to have him for this year. So we'll deal with whatever hold out he does. Probably OTA's maybe some of Training Camp. But I doubt he'll sit out any of the year.

 

Even if he were to sit out a game or two, still more important to have him for the season than the peanuts we'd get moving him.

[4merper4mer]

On 3/24/2025 at 7:41 PM, Buffalo716 said:

There's a lot of really good running backs who get drafted in the second and third rounds all the time lol

 

You literally are acting like James Cook is a first ballad Hall of famer 

 

 

 

I didn’t know they gave out sheet music in Canton.

[YoloinOhio]

On 3/25/2025 at 11:57 AM, ColoradoBills said:

 

The thing is if Cook does this there is nothing Beane and the Bills can do to stop him.

Their options are:

1.  Let the scenario you mentioned play out.

2.  Trade him at the end of August or beginning of September.

3.  Cut him and save $5.3M in cap.

4.  Cave in and sign him to $15M AAV.

 

I don't think Cook is this stupid, but if he is, oh well.  Trade him or cut your losses.

I don’t think he’s Leveon bell level stupid either. The game he missed last year his backups rolled up like 200 yards on the ground. The last thing he wants is that to happen again while he’s sitting out 

Edited Thursday at 12:13 PM by YoloinOhio

[Don Otreply]

Cook is fortunate that I’m not Beane, I would IR him for the season if he doesn’t show up at camp on time, lol,