James Cook agrees to new contract with Bills

Cook’s new contract is worth slightly more than the three-year, $33 million extension that Kyren Williams recently signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

Cook had participated fully in the first full week of training camp but then began sitting out. When reporters asked what led to the change, Cook would only repeat the same one-word response.

It then appeared that Cook was going to play in Buffalo’s preseason game against the New York Giants on Saturday night, but the 25-year-old pulled a strange move.

The issues all seem to be resolved now. The $12 million average annual salary places Cook just inside the top-five highest-paid running backs in the NFL. There had been reports that he was seeking to become one of the highest-paid backs in the league, but his production is a lot more similar to Williams’ than it is to Saquon Barkley’s, who currently earns $20 million per year.

Cook rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons and made the Pro Bowl both years. He led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns last season and has been the focus of Buffalo’s running game.