The Buffalo Bills’ star running back, James Cook, is on the precipice of a legendary achievement (more on that later). Yet the AFC East champs have neglected to extend the 25-year-old entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract.
ESPN analyst Jeremy Fowler believes Bills fans should be patient with the organization, pointing to the fact that it is still only June.
“I still think the door is open,” Fowler said on One Bills Live. “That’s one I haven’t checked on today, necessarily, but last I checked, there wasn’t a lot of progress, but there was still like some optimism in the big picture that maybe they could figure something out, and they have four or five weeks to do it, whatever it is, before training camp, and then you still have camp. That doesn’t have to be a deadline.”
The summer so far has been nonconfrontational. Though Cook has made it clear he expects an extension, he has showed up to all mandatory events. He did, however, skip the voluntary portion of summer workouts. But Fowler predicts the Bills will follow the Philadelphia Eagles model as far as the extension is concerned.
“I sense Buffalo would probably like to get that kind of thing done before Week 1,” Fowler continued. “But you’re right, they’ve shown a pension for re-signing their own. They’re dedicated to it. They’ve been aggressive. It’s a similar model that Philadelphia has followed.”
Cook Has Named His Price
James Cook has been his own agent during this process, as he took to Instagram live to name his asking price very early in the process.
“15 mil a year,” Cook’s pinned comment on his own IG live read.
The problem is that running back contracts in the NFL still aren’t an exact science.
The Eagles’ Saquon Barkley changed the game this march when he signed a two-year, $41 million extension. The only other backs in the league around this 15 million dollar mark are Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry.
This puts the Bills in a tough spot. Cook is not yet in the same conversation as these three potential Hall of Famers, yet, the Bills might not be the AFC East champions five years in a row without his contributions.
“I do think James Cook is the most challenging of all the deals that they’ve done recently because of the running back position. He’s been ultra productive, but the only running backs that are really getting paid at a high clip as we’re seeing is the top of the top,” said Fowler.
“We’re not going to pay a running back, say, $18 million a year, but I still think there’s a sweet spot that there will be enough optimism there where they can reach it eventually.”
Cook Could Join Legendary Company
Cook is coming off his second straight one thousand yard season. If he were able to make it three in a row, he would become just the third Buffalo Bill to ever accomplish the feat.
He would join Hall of Famers Thurman Johnson and O.J. Simpson.
“Two of the greatest backs to play the game, Simpson and Thomas were perennial 1,000-yard rushers for the Bills,” SI’s Randy Gurzi wrote. “Thomas accomplished the feat eight consecutive times (1989-1996), while Simpson managed it five years in a row (1972-1976).”
Cook has accomplished all of this on just $1.4 million a year, one of the most team friendly contracts in the league.
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