The Buffalo Bills are no closer to a long-term deal with star running back James Cook, who was not present as the team started optional offseason practices this week.
Players return to Buffalo at the start of the week for the unofficial kickoff to the 2025 season, with quarterback Josh Allen and a number of other veterans showing up for the voluntary exercises. The disgruntled Cook was not among the group, however, and Bills general manager Brandon Beane gave a bad sign on the progress of contract talks.
No Progress for Bills, James Cook
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Beane delivered a bit of bad news when he said there had been no new progress toward a contract extension for Cook. The running back is headed into the final season of his rookie contract and expressed a desire for a new deal, hinting at a $15 million per year number.
“The same with James really since owners meetings,” Beane said, via SI.com. “Love James. Look forward to James putting on our helmet again this year and doing well for us.”
Beane had previously said the two sides were not close on a deal, saying he did not expect any progress for the rest of the offseason.
The Bills general manager on Tuesday added that he wasn’t sure when Cook would be joining the team his offseason, stressing that the practices were still in the voluntary phase.
“I can’t tell you when he’s definitely coming or not, but, yea, not yet,” said Beane. “I mean, it’s voluntary. Guys come and go. Guys have things going on. You try not to look too far into it. We can all assume he’s not here because he’s unhappy with his contract, or whatever, but that’s not fair. He hasn’t told me that.”
For some fans, Cook’s absence was reminiscent of wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ absence in his final season with the team. Like Cook, Diggs had made a series of statements and social media posts hinting at discontentment with the team. The Bills went on to trade Diggs to the Houston Texans in the 2024 offseason.
Bills Could Trade James Cook
With his long-term future unclear, some analysts believe the Bills could look to trade Cook. SI.com’s Brian Letscher suggested the team could pull off a move in the NFL draft and look for a replacement for Cook.
“Beane has a long history of draft-day trades and ten picks this year gives him plenty of opportunity to make a move, including trading Cook for a 2nd to 4th round pick and then stealing a hidden gem in South Carolina running back Raheim Sanders,” Letscher wrote.
Letscher noted that Sanders coming off a strong season at South Carolina, where he rushed for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns.
It would be difficult for the Bills to fully replace Cook, who led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns last season and has now topped 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. Cook before the first Bills running back to achieve that mark since LeSean McCoy.
