Buffalo Bills running back James Cook. Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Where James Cook's extension with Buffalo Bills ranks among NFL running backs

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Mike Moraitis | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 1:55 PM ET

Not long after it was announced that the Buffalo Bills had signed running back James Cook to a contract extension, the specific details of said deal have been revealed.

Originally reported as a four-year, $48 million contract, the base value of Cook's deal is actually four years and $46 million. The extra two million comes via $1 million escalators in 2028 and 2029, according to Spotrac.

The deal is essentially a three-year, $30.1 million deal. Cook gets $15.28 million guaranteed at signing and a grand total of $28.8 million guaranteed.

Here's a more in-depth breakdown of the particulars of the contract, also courtesy of Spotrac:

$15.28M guaranteed at sign (signing bonus + 2025 salary + $5M of 2026 salary)
Additional $4.41M of 2026 salary fully guarantees 2/9/2026 (injury guaranteed at sign)
$6.22M of 2027 salary fully guarantees the 5th league day of 2026 (injury guaranteed at sign)
Additional $2.91M of 2027 salary fully guarantees the 5th league day of 2027 (injury guaranteed at sign)
$1.18M of 2028 salary injury guaranteed only
2026 Option Bonus: $7.4M
2026-29 Per Game Active Bonus: $20,000 ($340,000)
$1M Escalator 2028/2029 (2 seasons w/ 45% playing time + playoff berth)

"So in the end, James Cook and his camp (rightfully) compromised on his $15M APY request in return for much more important guarantee structure," Spotrac adds. "Cook gets an $11.5M base value APY, but is all but assured $30M over the next 3 seasons."

According to Over the Cap, here's where Cook ranks among other running backs:

Total value ($46 million): 2nd

Annual average ($11.5 million): 7th

Total guaranteed ($28.8 million): 3rd

Fully guaranteed ($15.2 million): 11th

All in all, this is a solid deal for both sides.

Cook might have wanted $15 million per year, but there was just no justifying paying him that much. He simply doesn't have a big enough workload and doesn't play enough on third downs to garner that type of commitment.

For the Bills, they have an out in Cook's deal as soon as 2027, when it'll cost just $5.4 million in dead money to cut him.