Jan 15, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; NFL Hall of Fame members and former Buffalo Bills players Jim Kelly (left) and Thurman Thomas prepare to get the crowd fired up before an AFC Wild Card playoff football game against the New England Patriots Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Bills' 1991 NFL MVP unveils his current favorite player 'besides Josh'

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Ralph Ventre | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 4:20 PM ET

Running backs have to stick together, especially in today's NFL.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise as to who Buffalo Bills ' legendary running back Thurman Thomas chose as his favorite player on the current roster.

The 59-year-old Thomas, who still lives in Western New York, remains locked in to the team he last played for during the 1999 season. The native Texan has served as an ambassador, on multiple fronts, for the Bills' organization over the years, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame member actually has a hand in building the new Highmark Stadium going up on the other side of Abbott Road.

When it comes to the Buffalo's current roster, Thomas, like almost every football fan, is naturally enamored with quarterback Josh Allen, who, this past February, became the Bills' first NFL MVP recipient since the retired running back last did it in 1991. While he shares a special connection with Allen, as two of only three players in franchise history to win MVP honors, Thomas undoubtedly admires the man who plays his position for the Bills these days.

"Well, being any other player besides Josh, it has to be James Cook. It has to be James Cook. I really have liked the way that his game has gone the last couple of years," said Thomas.

Coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns, and two consecutive Pro Bowl selections, the 25-year-old Cook received a four-year contract extension that keeps him under team controls through 2029. Thomas sees that signing as an opportunity for Cook to further elevate his game.

"I think with him recently signing a new contract, I think we will see a lot more from James Cook. I think they will probably use him a little bit more in the passing game," Thomas, who was a skilled pass-catcher in his own right to the tune of 4,458 career receiving yards.

While Cook saw a shade under 50 percent of the offense's snaps in 2024, Thomas would like to see Buffalo's RB1 take on a heavier in-game workload.

"I know they have this three-tiered system with James Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson, but I'm looking in that locker room, and I'm one of the highest paid guys in this locker room. I need to out there on that football field a little bit more, doing a little bit more for my team," said Thomas.

With the Bills' wildcard win over the Denver Broncos playing on his TV in the background this past January, Thomas shared a photo wearing a No. 4 James Cook jersey on his social media.

It won't be surprising if Thomas shows up at Highmark Stadium on Spetember 7 wearing the same threads.