Bills strike perfect balance with James Cook in a move that shows they’re serious about Super Bowl contention in 2025
Cook is now under contract through 2029
The Buffalo Bills and running back James Cook have finally reached a common ground. After months and months of tough negotiations, a hold in, and questions about the player’s future with the franchise, the Bills agreed to give Cook a four-year, $48 million contract that ties him to the team through 2029. The deal has $30 million in guarantees.
Cook was slated to make $1.5 million in 2025. So in essence, it’s a five-year, $49.5 million deal ($9.9 million on yearly average in real money).
At some point in the offseason, Cook requested a $15 million yearly salary, but that effectively wasn’t in line with his role within the Bills offense. With this new deal, Cook stays well behind Saquon Barkley, the highest-paid running back in the NFL at $20.6 million per year, but still gets rewarded for his contributions to the franchise.
James Cook had returned to practice on Tuesday, a good indication that the parties were closer to a deal.
“I would say so that things have changed,” head coach Sean McDermott had said. “And yes, we have had conversations with James. Good conversations, as I’ve mentioned before. The information that we’re getting is that he is moving in the direction of practicing today. We’ll see in a few minutes here, but that’s the information that we’ve got.”
Efficient runner
James Cook didn’t have a huge volume, because quarterback Josh Allen is such a unicorn. But the Bills leading running back has had two consecutive 1,000-rushing yard seasons. After having four rushing touchdowns in his first two seasons in the NFL, Cook scored 16 times last year—plus two times receiving.
Cook was 15th in yards after contact per attempt (3.26) and breakaway rate (31%). He was also fairly efficient as a receiver, the 23rd of 57 qualifying running backs in yards per route run.
Running back market
Even though Saquon Barkley broke the mold, the running back market has still been team-friendly. At $12 million per year, James Cook is tied with Josh Jacobs as the sixth-highest paid player at his position.
However, Cook got a strong deal in terms of guarantees. The $30 million is the second-highest ever, just behind Saquon and ahead of Jonathan Taylor ($26.5 million), Derrick Henry ($25 million), Christian McCaffrey ($24 million), Alvin Kamara ($22.233 million), and Josh Jacobs ($12.5 million).
The deal feels like a perfect middle ground. While Cook has security and a strong number in guarantees, the Bills were able to maintain the total value relatively low, which helps them have financial flexibility to build a Super Bowl-contending team over the next few seasons.
Ultimately, it’s what everything in Buffalo was looking for.
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