Should the Bills Extend James Cook’s Contract After Social Media Drama?
James Cook has solidified him as one of the NFL’s top running backs after being selected to the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons. The Bills drafted Cook 63rd overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, making him the third running back off the board after Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker III were taken earlier in the second round. After tying for the most rushing touchdowns in the league, Derrick Henry, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Cook all had 16, contract talks have already heated up because Cook pushed the needle with his social media accounts. This article will analyze what sparked the contract dispute and if the Bills should extend Cook’s contract or move on from him.
Cook Brothers Cause Social Media Drama
Cook has been far from silent on his contract status. First, his big brother Dalvin Cook posted on X during the AFC Championship that his brother is worth $20 million per year. Dalvin followed it up the next day by quoting a post by LAA Sports & Entertainment, the agency that represents both Cook brothers, that congratulated James on being selected to the Pro Bowl again. In the post, Dalvin didn’t back down from his comments, writing, “That payday can’t come soon enough.” His brother’s emphatic comments might have lit a fire under James. Last Tuesday, James took to Instagram Live to stir the pot, pinning his own comment that read “15 mill year.” The next day, he reposted a post that came from an account on X’s “Bills Twitter” community that said, “if you think James Cook ain’t worth 15 you must’ve been dropped head first through the table.”
Why Cook Deserves the Money
In the Josh Allen era, the Bills had very poor luck with running backs until recently. Devin Singletary was the lead back from 2019-22, putting up a plethora of solid but never great seasons. The Bills even drafted Zack Moss in 2020, hoping to develop one of them into a star, which went awry as neither of them panned out. Thankfully, the Bills finally hit on a running back with James as he’s the first Bills player since LeSean McCoy to rush for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. In knowing the previous woes of running the ball, LAA Sports has an advantage in bargaining with the Bills. In fact, the Bills’ rushing EPA has a lot to do with their lead back. From 2018-22, the Bills had the 18th-ranked rushing EPA in the league, which has gone all the way up to third since 2023, the season where James became the starter.
Why the Bills Should Move On
There’s no question that the 25-year-old running back is an essential part of this offense, but there is a question as to if he’s worth $15 million per year. The two best running backs from this past season were Saquon Barkley and Henry, earning $12.6 million and eight million per year, respectively. Both of them also played a higher percentage of snaps than Buffalo’s running back did, with Barkley playing 74% for Philadelphia and Henry playing 57% in Baltimore while James played only 48%. A $15 million average contract would put him only behind Christian McCaffrey, who earned his contract after winning the Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2023. All the previous players mentioned have been selected to an All-Pro team in the past two seasons as well. Even Jonathan Taylor, who had a very public contract dispute with the Colts, had to scratch and claw his way to a $14 million average deal in ‘23 even after his First-Team All-Pro season in ‘21. If the former Georgia Bulldog doesn’t budge in his $15 million asking point, then it’s not likely that he’ll stay in Buffalo, but if he can agree on a $10-12.5 million contract, then keeping him around shouldn’t be an issue.
