The NFL offseason is underway after the Philadelphia Eagles brought home Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, and the Buffalo Bills have significant decisions to make.
Buffalo needs to upgrade its defense and add more wide receivers, but it will also have to address some of its own with contract extensions.
James Cook Wants to be Paid This Offseason
Running back James Cook is entering his fourth season and is eligible for an extension this offseason.
On Tuesday night, the 25-year-old running back commented on his teammate Frank Gore Jr.’s Instagram Live and stated, “15 million a year.” That’s how much the former Georgia running back wants on his new deal.
San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey was the highest-paid running back last year at $16 million.
Giving a running back a boatload of money could be a blessing and a curse, and McCaffrey appeared in only four games this season, and the 49ers paid the price, missing out on the playoffs.
If the Bills pay Cook $15 million a year, there will be some benefits and disadvantages.
Cook brought something to the backfield the Bills had been waiting for since they drafted Josh Allen in 2018.
In Allen’s first six seasons, the offense was at its best when he was carrying the ball, but Cook emerged as a great runner this season, rushing for 1,009 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Cook took the pressure off Allen, which helped him become an even better quarterback, winning his first MVP award.
Giving Cook $15 million a year is a steep price, but what he did to the offense this season is worth it.
The Bills Are Better With Cook
We just watched the Eagles win the Super Bowl, and they have one of the best running backs in the NFL, Saquon Barkley.
Barkley rushed for over 2,000 yards and 13 scores this season, but he also opened up the offense for quarterback Jalen Hurts to throw and even keep the ball and run.
Cook can do the same thing to the Bills offense, freeing up Allen more in the passing and running game.
The running backs are making a comeback, and the best teams in the league have some of the greatest ones.
Yes, you could draft a running back somewhere on Day three of the NFL Draft and have them on a cheap contract, but the Bills went over five years without being able to land a great running back after drafting a few—letting Cook go wouldn’t make sense.
If the Bills decide not to pay Cook, they will free up cap space, which they could use to add better defensive players. The team needs to improve in this area.
However, sometimes the best defense is outscoring your opponent, and when Cook is on the field, Buffalo has the potential to do it.
Buffalo is right at the doorstep of getting to a Super Bowl, and getting rid of the second-best offensive player in a few years because you don’t want to pay them doesn’t sit right.
Cook won’t be going anywhere in 2025 since he has one year remaining on his contract, but if he doesn’t get extended this off-season, there is a chance he won’t be playing football in Buffalo in 2026.
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