Bills RB doubles down on his new contract demands

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is one of the handful of players around the NFL hoping to get a new contract extension, and he is hoping to get a deal that will put him among the highest-paid running backs in the league. 

He doubled down on that request on Thursday, saying he deserves what he wants and needs, and that it's going to happen one way or another.

"We have talks. ... I mean, I deserve what I want, I need, and it's going to eventually happen," he said via ESPN.

When asked if he's confident that it will happen in Buffalo, Cook said, "I mean, however it happens, it's going to get done. Wherever it happens at."

Despite the lack of a new deal, Cook has been a full participant in training camp over the first two days. There is no hold-out or hold-in situation happening here, but he still wants his money and does not seem interested in taking anything less than his current asking price.

Cook wants a deal that averages $15M per season that would match him with Baltimore's Derrick Henry for the third-highest salary at the position. 

It's a tricky situation for Buffalo. On one hand, even though Cook's demands are quite clear he has not really done much to force its hand. He is at practice, he is with the team and he is participating. 

He's also one of the most important players on the Bills offense, having rushed for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, earning two Pro Bowl bids. If the Bills do not pay him after this season — or franchise tag him — somebody else almost certainly will.

But the concern for the Bills would be the potential for Cook to have another big year — or perhaps even a bigger year than he has already had — and only see his price tag continue to climb. 

Running backs went through a phase where the position was significantly devalued and even the elite players were struggling to get long-term commitments. The impact and success of Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia and Henry in Baltimore has kind of shifted that pendulum back in the other direction, so Cook would probably have a very robust market should he get to free agency. 

If the Bills will not pay him the $15M per year that he wants, somebody else will be waiting.