Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is holding in during training camp as he seeks a new contract.
Cook had a career year in 2024, rushing for 16 touchdowns and gaining 1,267 scrimmage yards.
Cook is in the final year of his rookie contract.
Sometimes there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Unfortunately for the Buffalo Bills, they don’t have any Cook at all.
Running back James Cook had a stellar season for the Bills in 2024, tallying 16 rushing touchdowns and 1,267 scrimmage yards for Buffalo.
While the recognition on the field and in headlines for Cook’s success has been plentiful, Cook feels as though that hasn’t been reciprocated in his bank account. The fourth-year running back has been an offseason hold-in as he seeks a new deal with Buffalo, one that hasn’t happened yet.
Now, the situation is still festering as preseason games get underway. Cook was dressed for Saturday’s opener vs. the New York Giants, but ended up not playing as the contract standoff continues.
Here’s the latest on Cook’s contract status and more:
James Cook contract news, updates
The third-year running back has been part of some meetings and walkthroughs, but has yet to practice during training camp with the team. He reported to mandatory mini-camp in June.
To make matters more confusing, Cook suited up for Buffalo’s preseason Week 1 matchup against the New York Giants on Aug. 9 and even went through pregame warmups, but he did not play in the game.
Following the game, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott attempted to get out in front of the situation, saying he had a good conversation with the running back in the day leading up to the game, and he was aware of Cook’s plan to suit up but not play.
‘He agreed to warm up, but not play due to his situation right now,’ McDermott said postgame. ‘So that’s where we’re at. So, no change.’
He continued: ‘I wanted him to play, but I don’t really want to go into it any further. There’s really no change at this point in time from what it was going into this weekend and the game today. … So, he warmed up like I said, but at this point, due to his situation and the position he’s in, he was not willing to play.’
Cook has been sitting out training camp practices as he looks for a new deal.
James Cook contract details
James Cook is in the final year of his four-year rookie contract, which totals $5,832,057. He will be an unrestricted free agent following the 2025 season if a deal with Buffalo is not reached.
James Cook stats
Cook put together an excellent season for the Bills in 2024. He totaled 1,009 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, the latter a career high. He also caught two touchdown passes and amassed 258 receiving yards as part of Buffalo’s high-powered offense.