Buffalo Bills running back James Cook, who will turn 27 next month, received a four-year extension worth $48 million almost exactly a year ago.

Cook’s deal included nearly $30 million in guaranteed money.

That deal looks like a bargain compared to the extensions recently signed by Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, and Jonathan Taylor that are all worth at least $20 million per year.

One NFL executive believes that Cook “can’t be happy” after seeing the deals those running backs received.

“The running back market is very interesting,” said an NFC executive to Fox Sports. “It was one of the few markets that didn’t grow with the cap. Bijan and Gibbs are two unicorns, but it’s going to affect the entire running back market significantly. I’m sure James Cook is not happy. As teams continue to borrow from the future, these top contracts are outpacing the cap pretty significantly. Something interesting to watch as we move forward through this agreement.”

Cook had a monster season in 2025 — setting a career high with 1,621 rushing yards. He probably would’ve gotten a better deal had he waited until after the final year of his rookie contract to work out an extension. Of course, it’s possible that the pressure of a contract year could’ve weighed on him last season had he waited, so it’s understandable why he pushed to get the deal done last August.

Ultimately, Cook wanted to stay in Buffalo — he made that clear last year.

“It’s a great organization,” said Cook last year before signing his extension. “They drafted me. They drafted me for a reason, I feel like. And I’m willing to be here and spend my career here.”

I’m sure Cook is bummed that his deal isn’t closer to what we’ve seen top running backs get this offseason, but I’m not sure I buy that he’s unhappy. Cook knew that agreeing to the deal before the 2025 season meant that he may leave some money on the table, but he also knew that not signing a new deal could’ve been a big risk, too (you never know when the injury bug will strike).