Has Cook talked himself OFF the Bills for 2025

[DeepPass]

He's a very good running back,  He's a very good receiver.  He stated he should be on the field for all 3 downs.  Obviously, this goes against "everyone eats" philosophy. He wants somewhere between $8 to $15 mil per season.  That's Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry type money.

 

Does he hold out?  Does he sign a lower contract to stay with the Bills?  Will he be traded with a draft pick allowing the Bills to move up substantially in the 2025 draft?

 

The Bills have a long history of very good running backs (Simpson & Thomas were GREAT RB's) even in the dark ages with Terry Miller, Greg Bell, Joe Cribbs and CJ Spiller.all playing a significant role for the Bills in rushing and receiving.  Do we really need to have one of the highest paid backs in the League?

 

Comments Please!   Go Bills!

 

[oldmanfan]

No

[Draconator]

2 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

No

And there you have it. Thank you, good night. 

[Aussie Joe]

Haha … no 

[Shaw66]

3 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

No

Hah!

 

No comment?

 

Or, no, the Bills don't need a high priced back?

[gonzo1105]

Nope even if he sits out preseason and training camp, he’s a RB with a narrow window and really can’t afford to risk missing half the season and getting fined for half the season. Then they can franchise him for a reasonable number the next year. My guess is he’ll be here this year, maybe the next season if he’s franchised. Hopefully they get something done that’s reasonable 

[poblano]

12 minutes ago, DeepPass said:

  He stated he should be on the field for all 3 downs

   This is incorrect,   he isn't so polished as pass blocker, therefore the team has to get it out on most 3rd downs,  as the final series of AFCCG   demonstrated 

[That's No Moon]

16 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

No

I don't think anyone is calling with an offer good enough to make this happen.

[Doc Brown]

Bills don't have to do it but for the cap experts on here ..... can teams add incentives to the final year of a rookie contract to make him shut up on social media?

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

He’s the second most important person on our offense. Absolutely not. He will get paid and he will be worth it. He’s not just a guy he’s a difference maker 

[Rigotz]

For 2025? No.

 

For 2026? Probably.

[Albany,n.y.]

Considering we just gave $12 million/year to an average at best WR, they better be willing to pay him.  

Edited 6 hours ago by Albany,n.y.

[Mikie2times]

Has DeepPass talked himself off twobillsdrive.com?

[The Cincinnati Kid]

James Cook has Dalvin whispering in his ear and that’s probably a problem. Dalvin wasted his best years in the Arctic and doesn’t want his kid brother spending his whole career just below the treeline. My bet, Cook is a Falcon, Jaguar, Buccaneer, Dolphin, Texan, Ram or Charger within 2 full seasons.

[BillsFan130]

Unpopular take, but not that concerned.

 

I hope he's the RB for 2025, as yes, he is a good player.

But... RB is such an easy position to fill, and the bills o line is borderline elite. I feel like most backs would have good success behind this o line

Edited 5 hours ago by BillsFan130

[QLBillsFan]

34 minutes ago, Albany,n.y. said:

Considering we just gave $12 million/year to an average at best WR, they better be willing to pay him.  

Makes senses other than WR and RB have significantly different pay scales. Fair or unfair.. WR at peak is $40M and RB $20M.. so there’s that. 

10 minutes ago, The Cincinnati Kid said:

James Cook has Dalvin whispering in his ear and that’s probably a problem. Dalvin wasted his best years in the Arctic and doesn’t want his kid brother spending his whole career just below the treeline. My bet, Cook is a Falcon, Jaguar, Buccaneer, Dolphin, Texan, Ram or Charger within 2 full seasons.

Absolutely his brother is helping him make poor decisions with his communication. Adding he should play all 3 downs shows a low level of maturity and emotional intelligence.. based on the success the rb group has had with the Bills. That makes him better and more impactful when he does play. It’s unfortunate because he’s a big part of this team. We shall see but I’m getting the vibe the Bills are tiring of this behavior..

[bigduke6]

i really dont like the way this whole scene is seemingly going to play out.  simply cannot overpay in this league anymore unless its for a QB.   we've got Benford looking for a bag,  Cook,  other guys upcoming and the team hasnt really gotten better enough to get over the hump.  Beane is trying to fill holes with value at key spots because he needs to keep other people happy.  is RB a key spot?  id rather pay Benford even with all his injury concerns over Cook,  who absolutely deserve a pay increase mind you.  i dont envy Beane in this case.

Edited 5 hours ago by bigduke6

[NickelCity]

I can't believe Spiller was mentioned in the original post lol.

 

I don't think we can pay Cook 15 per. 

[Mike in Horseheads]

9 minutes ago, NickelCity said:

I can't believe Spiller was mentioned in the original post lol.

 

I don't think we can pay Cook 15 per. 

Spiller just needed to get out in space! lol

[Doc Brown]

1 minute ago, BillsFan130 said:

Unpopular take, but not that concerned.

 

I hope he's the RB for 2025, as yes, he is a good player.

But... RB is such an easy position to fill, and the bills o line is borderline elite. I feel like most backs would have good success behind this o line

It's not an unpopular take at all.  I prefer we keep him but if we can get a 3rd round pick for him I wouldn't hesitate.  His stock is at an all time high now because of the disproportionate TD's last year compared to the year before.  Plus, he was one of the few players who had a great game the last time we saw him.  Either trade him now and draft a RB if you can get a desperate GM gives up a 3rd round pick or better.  If not, let him play out his final year of his contract and if he produces the same numbers as he did the previous season then you pry have to let him walk.  If his numbers regress then you can pry sign him at $6m to $8m a year next off-season.  If some team offers more then so be it.