Bills Make $48 Million Contract Decision on Pro Bowler James Cook: Report
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
James Cook is a vital part of the Buffalo Bills' offense, and they treated him as such on Wednesday.
After a drawn-out contract disagreement this offseason, Cook returned to practice on Tuesday after missing four days of training camp. That signaled that perhaps a resolution was at hand, but the resolution even came quicker than optimists may have hoped.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bills and Cook came to agreement on a four-year, $48 million extension as of Wednesday morning. The deal includes $30 million in guarantees and takes effect this season.
James Cook #4 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 15, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
James Cook #4 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 15, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
Photo by"James could only envision himself as a Buffalo Bill," said agent Zac Hiller of LAA, per Schefter. "We are extremely thankful to the entire Bills organization and glad we could make that happen."
Cook, a two-time Pro Bowler in his first three NFL seasons, rushed for 16 touchdowns to lead the league last season. The 25-year-old tallied 1,009 rushing yards and 258 receiving yards, though he missed a game and ceded a small amount of his workload to rookie Ray Davis.
As a team with championship aspirations, the Bills couldn't afford to lose their reliable star in the backfield, even if it was only for a game or two. Hold-ins and holdouts have the potential to change not only the entire season for a team, but a player's career outlook at large.
Fortunately for Buffalo, the Bills and Cook resolved theirs quickly. This Buffalo team can now turn its attention to gunning for a sixth-straight AFC East title, and more importantly, a first-ever Lombardi Trophy.
More NFL: Former Dolphins, Giants Superstar Addresses Retirement Rumors
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
11 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Sean McDermott Speaks on Josh Allen's Status for Bills Preseason Games
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Buffalo Bills fans have been wondering if they will see starting quarterback Josh Allen in either of the team's remaining preseason games. Sean McDermott provided an answer recently, but it is one Bills fans may not want to hear. ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 09: Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady and Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills talk prior to an NFL Preseason 2025 game between New York Giants and Buffalo Bills at... ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 09: Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady and Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills talk prior to an NFL Preseason 2025 game between New York Giants and Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on August 09, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. More"I would love to, if you could put him in a bubble (and) guarantee me that he wasn't going to get hurt," McDermott told Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. "For every player, you'd love to be able to say, 'Hey, let's get out there and let's play three good games, and we'll ramp you up each game and so on and so forth.' It's just really hard to say that. So in Josh's case, really using practice to see where he's at and how he feels. And I'm giving him some ownership as well, which I think is important. He knows by now what he needs in order to be ready. Then this other piece over here is his time with healthy receivers. I think that's probably kind of that next chapter of the book right now." Moral of the story: Don't expect to see Allen until Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens on "Sunday Night Football." McDermott seems content with allowing Allen to just get himself "game ready" by working in practice where the team can control the environment and dictate what kind of contact, if any, he experiences. This philosophy is one that many NFL teams are gravitating toward where star athletes are seeing little to no playing time in the preseason. Teams have too much riding on the regular season to risk their best players for games that mean nothing. Bills fans will have to wait another three weeks before they see Allen for the first time this year. More NFL: Bills' James Cook Becomes Player To Watch In Sunday's Preseason Game
Miami Herald
41 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Kelly: Dolphins backups show fight in preseason win over Lions
There's a scene in the 8 Mile movie based on the popular rapper Eminem's life where B-Rabbit says all the diss lines his opponent could use against him in a competitive battle rap simply to disarm his opponent, taking away his rival rapper's ammo. While making a plea for his favorite rapper to attend Miami's joint practices against the Detroit Lions this week, Mike McDaniel brought up that scene and made a metaphor to the exact reason he chose to hold two joint practices against a Dan Campbell led Detroit Lions team that won 15 games last season. McDaniel seemingly wanted the Dolphins to see how far the gap was from a good to a great team, and the Dolphins learned just that before, and during Saturday's preseason 24-17 win over the Lions. 'Who doesn't know the 8 Mile anthem?' McDaniel said. 'I actually reference [Eminem] and call it '8 Mile,' which is where you do his battle rap thing and say all the [negative] things people know to be true. 'And then what?' McDaniel is likely referring to the talk he's either had - or needs to have - with his 2025 team about his hope, wish, desire for this season's Dolphins to stop being mentally and physically soft. For this team to save everyone from the unemployment line McDaniel's players need to change the national narrative about South Florida's NFL franchise by becoming a tougher, more physical team, one that is mentally sharp to the point they don't beat themselves with penalties and poor execution. McDaniel knows every narrative the local and national media - and more importantly, his own fanbase - parrots out about the Dolphins in his era as head coach. The Dolphins haven't won a playoff game in 25 years. McDaniel's team is undisciplined. The Dolphins are obsessed with speed, and as a result they are more finesse than physical. The Dolphins can't play in the cold, usually fade in December, and rarely beat playoff caliber teams. He's never once hidden from those narratives, and has actually confronted those theories - which are part of this franchise's history - head on, saying 'they won't change unless we do something about it.' And that's why the Dolphins have had a more physical training camp before they took the show on the road, holding a joint practice against the Chicago Bears, which is led by Dan Campbell's protege Ben Johnson, and then two against Campbell's Lions. We're quite familiar with Campbell work down here in South Florida because he served as the interim coach of the Dolphins during the 2015 season, replacing Joe Philbin four-games into the season. I'll never forget that during the very first practice Campbell led the Dolphins went from the team stretching period to the Oklahoma drill, which is a collision driven, man-vs-man practice period where each player's will and fight is put to the test. That's Dan Campbell, who led those Dolphins to a 5-7 finish. He's someone you refer to by both names every time you mention him. The former NFL tight end turned coach is in your face. He's aggressive. He's a punch you first kind of guy. That's how the Lions have built their team, and now the franchise is clearly benefitting from it considering the 36-15 record they've produced the past three seasons, which includes a 2-2 playoff record the past two seasons. McDaniel needed this 8 Mile trip to show his 2025 team the Dolphins' new course, the one that got started in the 2025 NFL draft when Miami added 1,200-plus pounds of beef on the offensive and defensive line. Miami's not a finished product two preseason games into the 2025 season. The secondary remains a mess, the running back unit is thin, and the backup offensive line is a disaster. But the fight and spirit Miami's backups showed on Saturday - days after getting pushed around by the Lions for two practices - shows that McDaniel's team is a work in progress. 'I want to see how the guys respond to adversity because it's not if, but when,' McDaniel said after the win. Eminem and B-Rabbit didn't become one of the world's most legendary rappers the night they left the Detroit trailer park, so let's not expect McDaniel's team to resemble Campbell's team overnight. The first step is knowing what you're working against, and then fully committing yourself to changing it.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Watch: Lions highlights from the preseason matchup with Miami
The Detroit Lions opened up the home preseason docket with a visit from the Miami Dolphins. The Lions didn't play starters in the game, but it was still an important matchup for a lot of players fighting for roster spots or higher places on the Detroit depth chart. The Dolphins prevailed in Ford Field, 24-17, when No. 3 QB Hendon Hooker threw an interception in the red zone with the Lions threatening to score with under a minute to play. In between the barrage of penalties committed by both teams, a few Lions plays proved highlight-worthy. The Lions got on the board with a touchdown pass from Kyle Allen to Jackson Meeks, going for it on 4th down in the Miami red zone. Check out the pass protection pick-up from No. 13, RB Craig Reynolds: Isaac Ukwu preserved the score with a fantastic sack on Dolphins QB Zach Wilson on fourth down deep in Detroit territory. Miami risked it, and Ukwu made sure they got no biscuit... The Lions seized the lead with a strike from Allen to rookie wideout Isaac TeSlaa. This is a very similar catch to the touchdown TeSlaa snagged a week earlier in Atlanta: Rookie wideout Dominic Lovett cracks the highlight reel on special teams. Nice heads-up play by Lovett to recover the muffed punt (which cannot be advanced by rule): That led to a Jake Bates field goal to put the Lions up 17-14 in the third quarter. Earlier in the game, second-year RB Sione Vaki also made a great special teams play. Vaki extricated the ball from Dolphins punt returner Dee Eskridge. Miami recovered, but this is a great example of the special teams excellence Vaki brings to Detroit: This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions highlights from preseason matchup with Miami Dolphins
