The Buffalo Bills have started their voluntary workouts, with superstar quarterback Josh Allen among those joining. But one notable player who was not present in Orchard Park was running back James Cook.
His absence, however, isn’t surprising, considering his offseason saga with Buffalo. The 25-year-old Cook is entering the final year of his current contract and is seeking an extension. But it appears that he and the Bills have a big gap in terms of their prices.
When the Philadelphia Eagles inked Saquon Barkley to a two-year deal worth $42.1 million, Cook shared a social media post that read “$15 mill a year,” as though to indicate his desired annual salary. Taken in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft by Buffalo, Cook was signed by the Bills to a four-year, $5.83 million contract two weeks later. His base salary in 2024 was just $1.16 million but he will be paid $5.271 million in 2025.
For Allen, he can only wish the best for Cook.
Via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN:
“I’m not the GM, not the head coach, and now I know I feel like I have to wear a few different hats among the locker room, but that’s not one of them,” Allen said. “I just try to make sure that I’m focusing on what I can control and making sure that the guys that are here are getting the work done, and I know James is working out and getting the work done there too. And hopefully that gets figured out, but it’ll get figured out when it gets figured out.”
Allen, Cook formed deadly 1-2 Buffalo Bills duo on the ground in 2024
Cook was a big part of the Bills’ high-octane attack in 2024. He led Buffalo that season with 1,009 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 207 carries.
He and Allen combined for 18 scores on the ground for the Bills’ offense that ranked ninth in the NFL with 136.7 rushing yards per game and second with an average of 30.6 points per outing.
For More NFL and College Football News & Updates:
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) at @Rexwell14. Also, do not forget to regularly check out the latest Gridiron Heroics content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in the world of NFL and college football in terms of transactions, analysis, game previews, free agency, recruitment, transfers, and more, just click here!
