13 hours Ago By Ian Van Roy, NFL Analysis Network
James Cook has been relatively quiet in his NFL career, but the Buffalo Bills back has something to say publicly. James Cook’s season didn’t end the way he wanted. After fighting for months on a daily basis, the Buffalo Bills once again fell short against Patrick Mahomes.
The Bills losing to the Kansas City Chiefs has become as predictable as the snow hitting the gridiron in Buffalo in December. One doesn’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, but they can give a rough estimate. This year, it happened like clockwork.
Now, roughly a month after swallowing that pill, James Cook might need to deal with a different reality. Six months after Cook’s snubbing in the Madden 25 ratings , he now might need to fight long and hard to ensure a comfortable future in the NFL. Cook’s injury history hasn’t been spotless, and the Bills might try to use that against him at the negotiation table.
Cook delivered what might be the opening salvo. James Cook gets hungry Speaking in a “NightCap” Livestream on February 20, Cook went out of his way to ask for more money for all running backs. Of course, he also included himself in that.
“Can say just one thing though, I just feel like we just do so much by going to practice and doing all the good [stuff], right? “And I just feel like we (RBs) deserve it. Like, why not? We work all our lives to get paid big bucks. .
.. Like, send me the big bucks.
Why not, bro? ...
I don’t want to feel like a cancer at all,” he said. Bills general manager Brandon Beane has his fingers on the purse-strings and Cook’s statement just kicked off a tense period of negotiations. Bills need to pay James Cook The Buffalo Bills have two options with Cook.
On one hand, they can either drag out a negotiation all offseason long, generate lots of bad press, and eventually cave to pay him most of what he wants. On the other hand, they can preempt the negotiation by offering a deal before he’s ready to settle in for a fight and get a deal done. With Stefon Diggs out the door and no true replacement having emerged, Cook is the last franchise weapon the team has.
If they let him go after the final year on his deal expires in 2025 or go through the franchise tag hoops, it drains resources time, and energy that could be spent in other places. Even worse, if they hesitate to pay Cook, it could rub Josh Allen the wrong way. They’ve already added to his plate by refusing to keep Diggs around.
Hesitating on Cook could be the equivalent of testing Allen’s patience as they see if they can get away with asking him to do even more. Put simply, pay the back. After putting up more than 1000 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, he’s earned it.
This article first appeared on NFL Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission..
