James Cook, Buffalo Bills finish training camp in a contract standoff

The Buffalo Bills closed training camp on Thursday and will move down the 90 back to Orchard Park for the rest of the preseason. One of the players that folks may think is already in Erie County is James Cook, who has been absent from practice for almost a week now. Let’s reset his contract situation now that camp is closed.

James Cook’s contract situation

Earlier this offseason, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook began taking to Twitter to ask for a new contract, presumably because the two sides couldn’t reach a deal behind closed doors. General manager Brandon Beane says they began talking all the way back in March about a contract extension, the earliest time possible for the former second-round pick.

As deals kept coming in around the league, Cook even put a number on it — $15 million per season. At the time that would have placed him in the top two of running back contracts behind only Christian McCaffrey. Since then, deal have come for Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million), Derrick Henry ($15 million), and Kyren Williams ($11 million).

Cook is slated to make more than $5 million in 2025 after contract escalators bumped his rookie salary.

James Cook practiced this offseason

To his credit, Cook should up to mandatory minicamp and went about a regular routine.

“I didn’t really think about [holding out of minicamp]. I just, I knew I was going to come out here and work,” Cook said in June. “I don’t owe it to nobody but my teammates and myself and my family. So by me participating, showing my teammates that I love the game and I’m willing to be out here.”

He participated in the start of training camp, participating fully. That changed as the end of training camp approached.

• On Sunday, August 3rd, Cook informed the Bills he wouldn’t be practicing shortly before the team suited up for their ninth day of practice. He was on the sideline doing some bike work and walking around and spoke to reporters saying only “business” when asked why he wasn’t practicing. The move seemed to catch the team off guard.
• On Monday, August 4th, he walked out to the track surrounding the field and used the portable toilet before returning to the medical tent. Before practice, Brandon Beane noted on local radio that this was the first contract hold-in or holdout during his time as GM. “It takes two,” said Beane regarding the negotiations.
• After an off day Tuesday, Cook was not on the field Wednesday, August 6th.
• On Thursday, August 7th, head coach Sean McDermott said he expected Cook to practice, saying he expects every healthy player to practice. Cook was not on the field, but McDermott says he has been taking part in walkthroughs and meetings.

Publicly, teammates have been supporting him with the media without throwing the organization under the bus.

“Sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” said Josh Allen as...