A potential James Cook concern from before the season is starting pick up some steam and could become a nightmare for the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills could have a problem on their hands with running back James Cook in the not-too-distant future.
Just before the start of the 2026 NFL season, an unnamed NFL executive suggested to Fox Sports that Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is “not happy” due to the way running back contracts were handled during the offseason.
Cook, who turned 27 in September, received a four-year extension worth $48 million a little over a year ago.
That deal looks like a huge 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.
“The running back market is very interesting,” said the 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.”
Many Bills fans scoffed at that comment, but the situation was brought up again this week by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“One contract issue that could come to a head next offseason is that of Buffalo running back James Cook III,” noted Fowler this week. “Since signing a four-year, $46 million extension before the 2025 season, Cook has a rushing title and ranks third this year with 346 rushing yards through three games. But due to a major spike in the tailback market this summer, he’s now 13th in positional pay. Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs, Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor all surpassed the threshold of $20 million per year over the summer.
“Cook is in his prime and is under contract through 2029 at a below-market clip, due $9.7 million in 2027. If the Bills make a deep run and Cook is a big part of it, I could see his contract becoming a sticking point. The Bills opened up contract talks early for their star quarterback, Josh Allen. Whether they would do so for a running back remains to be seen, but there’s no denying Cook is crucial to what they do.”
There’s no guarantee that this will become an issue between Cook and the Bills, but I don’t think it’s something that can be completely ignored, either.
We’ll see what happens, but this will certainly be something for Bills fans to monitor next offseason.
