James Cook breaks his silence on what really happened during hold-in drama with the Bills after signing his new contract
It’s finally over, the hold-in is finished. Cook opened up about the experience.
The national nightmare is over. The Buffalo Bills and James Cook have agreed to terms on a massive contract extension that puts the Bills back in the upper echelon of RBs in terms of guaranteed money. The talented running back falls behind Las Vegas Raiders Ashton Jeanty and Philadelphia Eagles Saquon Barkley in terms of total guaranteed money.
James finally shed some light when speaking to the media after practice on what the thought process was behind practicing and then ultimately holding out. The third-year back explained why he showed up in the first place, “Just to show my loyalty to my team and my teammates. I know they always got my back, so I got their back too. Just showing them that I am willing to not be a problem and a distraction. Just go out there and practice and play, and see what happens.”
There’s a running joke across Bills Mafia circles that Cook doesn’t smile. Well, after inking a massive new deal, he was all smiles during practice, jovial even. A different look from the Bills RB. He’s happy, the front office is happy, and we’re happy.
Trust the process
The star running back opened up on whether the process was difficult for him, “I mean, I wouldn’t say difficult. I handled it the right way, I felt like. We got stuff done.” While it may not have been difficult for him, it was surely a headache for the coaching staff and front office. McDermott was fired up before Tuesday’s practice, wanting desperately for him to be back on the practice field.
When asked about his confidence that sitting out practice would result in a new contract, Cook made sure to offer a correction. “Not moreso that it would help, just trying to protect myself. Just trying to stay healthy and just get everything done before I can go out there and play with a clear mindset and just be locked in.”
James Cook loves Buffalo
The connection between the team and the city cannot be overstated. The organization and its players love the city as much as the city loves their team. Fully understanding that, “This is the place that drafted me. The fans good, the community good. Just the team we got, we play as one. We’re brothers and we bond like that.”
Having the support of his teammates weighed heavily on him, “It just shows that they got my back. How they’re willing to go with me in depth, in holding out.”
Parting shot from James Cook to the world
Leave it to James to offer a slight toward the national media coverage. Discussing if he felt misunderstood, James took his shot, “No, cause ya’ll don’t know what I’m going through, and your opinions don’t matter. So, me being myself and just staying true to myself and believing in myself.”
That’s when everything circled back to the most important part of all this, his abilities on the football field. Cook wanted to move on from the contract drama and focus on the task at hand. When approached with how long he was willing to hold in, he wanted none of it. “However long it took. We don’t need to be discussing that, let’s play football.”
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