Bills agree to multiyear extension with Pro Bowl RB

The Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement with running back James Cook on a four-year contract extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The deal has a base value of $48M with $30M in guaranteed money, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Cook’s $12M APY is the sixth-highest among NFL running backs, and his guarantees trail only Saquon Barkley and Ashton Jeanty. He will now be under contract in Buffalo through the 2029 season.

The Bills had been trying to extend Cook for most of the offseason. He publicly demanded $15M per year, and negotiations stalled in the spring. The two sides appeared to be making progress on several occasions, including when Cook showed up for mandatory minicamp and took the field at the start of training camp.

However, Cook stopped practicing in early August, citing “business” as the reason and raising doubt that a deal would get done before Week 1. He returned to the field on Tuesday, a clear signal that he and the team were close to an agreement. Indeed, Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed that Cook ending his ‘hold-in’ was a show of good faith that helped get both sides back to the negotiating table.

“Once we got him back on the practice field, we really worked hard,” added Beane (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg).

Cook, who turns 26 years old in late September, was drafted by the Bills with the 63rd overall pick in the 2022 draft. He spent his rookie year playing second fiddle to veteran Devin Singletary, but took over the starting job in 2023 with his first thousand-yard season, plus another 445 yards through the air to reach 1,567 yards from scrimmage on the year. Last year, he saw a slight downtick in both rushing attempts and receiving targets as part of an overall reduction in playing time.

Beane said that the Bills still believe that Cook is “a three-down type player” despite playing just 48% of the team’s offensive snaps last year, down from 55% the year prior.

“We think he could take more, but we also want to use our other weapons and keep him as fresh as possible,” continued Beane. “We think that’s the best utilization of him.”

Keeping Cook fresh in 2024 allowed him to rank sixth among running backs in yards per carry last season. He also tied Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns.

Cook’s agent, Zac Hiller of LAA Sports & Entertainment, released a statement on his client’s behalf: “James could only envision himself as a Buffalo Bill. We are extremely thankful to the entire Bills organization and glad we could make that happen.”

Cook is now the sixth Bills player to sign a multiyear extension this offseason, capping off an impressive string of signings for Beane and his front office. They made several tough decisions by cutting long-tenured veterans last offseason to free up cash and cap space to get their young core under contract. With that mission accomplished, the Bills will spend the next few seasons trying to get over the hump and finally bring a Super Bowl to Buffalo.