Bills running back James Cook reports to mandatory minicamp amid desire for new contract: Source

New York Times

a day ago

June 10, 2025 11:28 am EDT After missing the two weeks of practice during the Bills' voluntary Organized Team Activities, top running back James Cook has reported to the team. Cook is in Buffalo for the start of the team's mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, a source told The Athletic's Dianna Russini. Cook, who turns 26 in September, has been fairly public about his desire for a new contract. He's in the final year of his four-year rookie contract, which expires in March. Earlier in the offseason, Cook insinuated that he was looking for a new deal that yielded $15 million per season. That was before the Bills went on an in-house spending spree, getting the group of wide receiver Khalil Shakir, defensive end Greg Rousseau, linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Christian Benford all signed to long-term contract extensions. The Bills have downplayed Cook's absence from OTAs and have said they've been in contact with the running back during the offseason. By reporting to all days of the minicamp, he will not be subject to fines by the team. Cook enjoyed a highly efficient career year in 2024, generating a 1,009-yard rushing season on only 207 attempts, and adding an additional 258 yards on 32 receptions. His touchdown rate skyrocketed in 2024. He found the end zone 18 total times, tripling his six-touchdown mark from the 2023 campaign. Cook is highly regarded around the building, as both general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have made it clear that they feel strongly about the running back as a person. They've often referred to the contract conversation simply being about the 'business' side of things, but have continuously said all the right things about Cook whenever he's come up in a news conference setting. The fact that Cook is in town for the mandatory minicamp is not that shocking, considering how he's been committed to the team over the last three seasons and because he has more to gain by being in attendance than not. As we wrote earlier in the offseason, Cook missing the voluntary OTAs was not a massive deal, as he's going back to the same offense he played in last season and could likely get back in the swing of things pretty quickly. With Cook reporting to minicamp, the assumption is that he'll do the same for training camp, as he approaches a pivotal contract year to try and attain a lucrative long-term extension, either in Buffalo or elsewhere. The big remaining question for this minicamp is to see how much he'll participate, though even that isn't as big of a deal as long as Cook is fully practicing by the time training camp rolls around in late July. Unless he or the Bills have budged about where the value is, there may not be enough common ground between the two sides at the moment. As good as Cook was to the Bills' operation, there is more nuance to the situation than just the Bills deciding whether or not to pay Cook for the long term. First is his role during his breakout season. Despite putting up some big statistics, Cook was merely the top player in a committee backfield, taking only 47.5 percent of offensive snaps in the games he was active in 2024. Cook was essentially the team's early-down back, but when it got to obvious passing situations on third and fourth down, Cook would usually be replaced in the lineup by Ty Johnson, who operated as the '1B' running back last season. Cook's role with the team would need to reflect how much they pay him, so that might be one of the reasons for disagreement on value. The second point to consider is that the Bills have two other potential key free agents on offense in March, with starting center Connor McGovern and starting left guard David Edwards both set to become free agents in the offseason. On top of that, starting right guard O'Cyrus Torrence is a free agent after the 2026 season and would be eligible for an extension during the offseason. The Bills are going to need to make some difficult choices as they're already up against a projected deficit with the 2026 salary cap, making it somewhat necessary to look at the entire situation rather than making their choice without seeing how things progress in the upcoming season. Lastly, under Beane and McDermott, the Bills have never issued a lucrative long-term deal to a running back. They've drafted many of them over the years, but the position has continuously had one of the lowest cap percentages of their roster. While they aren't against the notion of paying a running back, as they've often referenced do-it-all all types like Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara throughout the years, it's difficult to assume they see Cook in the same light at the moment, given his role on the offense, even in 2024. If Cook's role increases in 2025, perhaps that window could open up a bit more for him for the long-term deal he's seeking.
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