Cowboys Trade Rumor for Bills RB James Cook Earns 'Absurd' Label from Insider
Cowboys Trade Rumor for Bills RB James Cook Earns 'Absurd' Label from Insider originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
FRISCO - James Cook is the only member of the Buffalo Bills who is staying away from OTAs, as he has been in a contract dispute with the franchise dating back to the end of the 2024 season regarding a potential extension.
Advertisement
And there are predictions now ...
A prediction of a Buffalo disaster in a "gruesome'' picture painting by ESPN's Adam Schefter ...
And a prediction of a Dallas Cowboys connection to the star that our NFL insider Mike Fisher labels "absurd.''
Cook wants to become one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL. He certainly has an impressive resume, posting back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons and leading the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024.
Still, the Bills have been tentative to give the two-time Pro Bowler a salary of $15 million, as he has requested on social media. This dispute could in theory lead to Cook's time as a Bill nearing the end, either through a trade or Cook hitting free agency after the upcoming season.
Advertisement
Said Schefter on his podcast: 'It bears watching because you've got a guy who's unhappy with this contractual situation, who has basically disconnected himself from the organization, the city, put his house up for sale. I don't think we'll be seeing him in Buffalo anytime soon, and again, the start of training camp will be the next critical moment. If they don't have a deal done there by then, does James Cook show up for training camp?''
We think Schefter is overreacting here ... but not as much as Pro Football Network, which is proposing a trade that would bring the Buffalo running back to Dallas.
"Cook offers proven production and the ability to carry a full workload. In an offense led by Dak Prescott and supported by a high-powered receiving corps, Cook could become the featured back Dallas needs,'' PFN writes. "The Cowboys also have the cap space to offer Cook an extension if he becomes a long-term fit.''
Responds Fish: "I don't think PFN exactly has the pulse of the situation here. Dallas will not - under virtually any circumstance - pay $15 million per year for a running back. to pretend otherwise is absurd.''
Advertisement
The Cowboys are presently hoping some combination of Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue gets the job done at tailback.
There is another problem here: The Bills are trying to win a Super Bowl. And their backups (Ty Johnson and Ray Davis) are not equipped to do that on Cook's level.
So Schefter's panic and PFN's silliness aside, the Bills and Cook truly need each other here. And just because Dallas could use a Cook-like back doesn't mean it's even close to the realm of possibility here.
Related: Cowboys 'Fizzled-Out' Veteran Tipped To Have Make-Or-Break Season
Related: Three Troubled Former Cowboys Arrested Within Four-Day Span
Want more Cowboys? Enter the Fish Report!
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
23 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Brown, Milam drive in 4 runs each, LSU beats West Virginia 12-5 to clinch 20th CWS berth
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Jake Brown hit a home run and had four RBIs, Steven Milam had two doubles and also drove in four runs and LSU beat West Virginia 12-5 on Sunday night to sweep the best-of-three Baton Rouge Super Regional. No. 6 seed LSU (48-15) clinched the program's 20th berth in the College World Series, where the Tigers will try to win their eighth national championship — all since 1991, the most recent in 2023. Derek Curiel led off the game with a double and scored to make it 1-0 when Brown reached on a fielder's choice in the first inning and the Tigers led the rest of the way. Anthony Eyanson (11-2) gave up four runs on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in five innings. Chris Stanfield, Curiel and Ethan Frey each drew a two-out walk to load the bases before Milam cleared the bases with a double off starter Jack Kartsonas (6-4) to spark a five-run second that made it 6-0. After Jace Rinehart hit a two-out solo shot and pinch-hitter Chase Swain drew a walk, Chase Shores came on a struck out Brodie Kresser swinging to end the eighth and the pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. Sam White hit a leadoff homer and Ben Lumsden added a two-run shot in the fourth before White added an RBI single in the fifth to cut the deficit to 6-4. Stanfield hit a two-RBI single to spark a six-run seventh, capped when Brown's two-run home run gave LSU an eight-run lead. Milam and Josh Pearson each hit a grand slam as LSU beat the Mountaineers 16-9 in Game 1 on Saturday. West Virginia (44-16) set the program's single-season record for wins under first-year coach Steve Sabins. The Mountains advanced to their first-ever super regional last season. The game had originally been scheduled for 5:06 p.m. local time but was delayed approximately three hours due to inclement weather in the area. ___ AP college sports:
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Offensive duo, 2024 redraft and other LA Rams news for Arizona Cardinals fans to know
Offensive duo, 2024 redraft and other LA Rams news for Arizona Cardinals fans to know A look at some stories from the last week that Cardinals fans should know about the NFC West rival Rams. We are 13 weeks from Week 1's Sunday games and done with another week of the NFL offseason. That means we take some time to check in with the Arizona Cardinals' NFC West rivals — the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. What is new with the Rams? Below are a few stories from the last week for Cardinals fans to know. Rams great this type of rushing the passer As the offseason brings interesting breakdowns, we learn that the Rams stunted defensively at a high rate and were the most efficient at stunting. Interesting 2024 first-round redraft In a redraft of the 2024 first round, the Rams don't get Jared Verse, who was their actual first-round pick. Instead, they still get Braden Fiske, whom they actually drafted in the second round. Top new offensive duo One of the Rams' biggest additions in the offseason was receiver Davante Adams. They were named the top new offensive duo entering 2025. Sean McVay shoutout The Rams head coach now has his place in pop culture. Lil Wayne mentioned McVay in a new song. Verse, Donald work out together Aaron Donald, the retired Rams legend, challenged Jared Verse to work out with him. They showed the workout. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
Yankees had a chance to bury Red Sox's season but failed: 3 takeaways
NEW YORK — There's not much that Jazz Chisholm Jr. wouldn't say with a microphone in his face, but what Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins said was one of those moments that the New York Yankees' third baseman would have stayed quiet. Dobbins told Red Sox writer Gabrielle Starr that if the Yankees were the last team to give him a contract, he'd retire. It was an audacious comment for a rookie to make before making his debut in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry on the road at Yankee Stadium, in what is always a hostile environment when the two clubs play. Advertisement 'I don't think I would ever say that,' Chisholm said before Sunday's game. 'I feel like that closes doors, but I like it, though. I like the competitiveness. It adds a lot of spiciness. You enjoy it. You're more locked in as a fan because you know what's going on. It's fun.' For a moment, it looked like Dobbins' outing on Sunday Night Baseball would go off the rails. Ben Rice led off the game with a single, and Aaron Judge followed by blasting a 436-foot opposite-field two-run home run. Judge said the only player he could remember saying something similarly to Dobbins' comment was Ken Griffey Jr., who repeatedly stated throughout his career that he would never play for the Yankees. Judge said Dobbins' remark was in his head when he stepped in the batter's box in the first inning. 'I was a little surprised,' Judge said. The Judge sentenced this ball to exile. #AllRise — New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 8, 2025 But to Dobbins' credit, he settled in after Judge's blast. Dobbins held the Yankees to just four hits and three runs across five innings. Boston manager Alex Cora took Dobbins out after just 64 pitches because he did not want the rookie facing the top of the Yankees' order for a third time. Chisholm posted 'free smoke' on his Instagram account before Sunday's game, referencing the free motivation the Yankees would have from Dobbins' comments, but the only smoke in the Bronx came from Boston's bats. They hit five home runs and won 11-7, taking two of three games from the Yankees this weekend. This was the first time Boston won back-to-back games since May 24. The Yankees could have buried the Red Sox's season this weekend. Boston entered this series sputtering and dealt with constant cries from the fan base to call up No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony to provide a spark, but it leaves New York with a bit of momentum after falling behind in the division by 10.5 games after Friday night's loss. It's still a long shot for the Red Sox to win the AL East, but being down 8.5 games rather than potentially 12.5 games is quite the difference. Advertisement 'They beat us here this weekend,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. 'It's part of it. We'll regroup into the off day. We're off to Kansas City and, obviously, back to Boston to get ourselves right back on track.' Here are two more takeaways from this series: The Yankees miss Luke Weaver. Losing their most important reliever for several weeks because of a pulled hamstring is shining a light on some of the cracks the bullpen currently has. We mentioned Ian Hamilton not being the same in Saturday's story, but add Jonathan Loáisiga to that group, too. It's a small sample but Loáisiga has allowed four home runs in 10 innings pitched this season. It's already the second-most home runs he's allowed in a single season in any year of his career. His biggest issue is that he doesn't have the same level of command as he had in 2023, and he's not getting the same elite movement on his signature pitch. The hope is that Loáisiga will regain form with more innings coming off of elbow surgery, but it should give the front office some concern because it's not a given that a pitcher will return to form in his first season back from a major injury. Story's turn!!! — Red Sox (@RedSox) June 9, 2025 'Stuff-wise, he's where he needs to be,' Boone said. It's a small sample, but his sinker still grades out as elite, according to Stuff+, which measures the physical characteristics of a pitch. But, his sinker currently has the lowest Stuff+ of his career. For now, Loáisiga needs lower-leverage outings while he sorts through his issues. The Yankees have the 15th-best bullpen ERA. A key factor for their inflated ERA? They are walking too many hitters. Their bullpen's walk percentage is the eighth-worst in MLB, and no current playoff team has a worse walk percentage than the Yankees. They need at least one new bullpen arm at the trade deadline. Advertisement Don't look now, but DJ LeMahieu has a 103 wRC+ entering the Kansas City series. I did not see him being much of a positive contributor, considering his concerning downward trajectory over the past few seasons. Now it is a small sample (69 plate appearances), but the Yankees will take any positive contribution from him that they can get. He's now 9 for his last 21, including a double and a home run over his last six games. What's interesting about LeMahieu's start to his 2025 season is he entered Sunday's game with the highest average exit velocity, barrel percentage and average launch angle of his career. Those are three major positives and would be interesting developments if they can stick over a larger sample. It's too early to make any sweeping conclusions on LeMahieu as a player, but it's worth keeping an eye on because if they can get simply league-average production out of him, it would be an unexpected contribution and could impact their trade deadline decisions. (Photo of Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacting after striking out in the eighth inning on Sunday: John Jones / Imagn Images)
