Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott. David Butler II-Imagn Images

Bills HC reacts to RB James Cook not playing in preseason game

By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 8:01 PM ET

James Cook briefly teased the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

Cook, who has been a hold-in during training camp as he seeks a contract extension, suited up for warm-ups and even took a rep before the Bills played the New York Giants in their first preseason game.

However, Cook chose not to play against the Giants.

Following the Giants' 34-25 win over the Bills, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott spoke with the media about Cook's decision not to participate in the game.

“We wanted him to play,” McDermott said, via a post on X from Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. “I wanted him to play, but I don’t really want to go into it any further. There is really no change at this point in time from what it was going into this weekend and the game today, so he warmed up.

"But at this point, due to the situation and the position he’s in, he was not willing to play, so that’s where we’re at."

Here is what Sean McDermott had to say about James Cook after today’s game. You can decide for yourself the mood of the #Bills’ head coach. pic.twitter.com/jrgXxoA38N
— Jay Skurski (@JaySkurski) August 9, 2025

McDermott was asked if he thought Cook would return to practice after taking a rep pregame. The head coach wanted to move on from talking about Cook altogether.

"Again, let's just move on," McDermott said. "We'll talk about the guys who played. I think that's the right thing to do and fair thing to do right now. James' situation is James' situation. We'll talk about the team."

Cook grabbed headlines by suiting up before the game.

While it appeared at the time like he was showing support for the team, it now seems as if the two-time Pro Bowl running back was making a crafty play to help himself and his agent before declining to go on the field against the Giants.

It didn't earn the respect of McDermott.

Will it bother other players on the team?

Jordan Sigler

Jordan Sigler is a sports writer with a decade of experience as a journalist, including his time as a breaking news/day cops reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. His sports coverage across the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, and college football world has also been featured at ChiCitySports, Gridiron Heroics, Pro Football Network, and Athlon Sports. Based in Austin, Texas, Jordan graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas Tech University in 2014

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