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The Buffalo Bills should have a Super Bowl or bust mentality heading into the 2025 NFL season. Buffalo came incredibly close to the Super Bowl in 2024, but just could not get past Kansas City once again. The Bills got some encouraging news to kick off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.
Bills running back James Cook is present at mandatory minicamp according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
This is big news for the Bills, as Cook has been in a contract dispute with the team the entire offseason.
However, Rapoport noted that it is still unclear how much Cook will participate on the field at mandatory minicamp.
One reason why this is an interesting development is that it conflicts with previous reporting.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter gave an unsettling update on Cook’s contract situation last week. He even said that he did not expect to see Cook in Buffalo “anytime soon” while he holds out for a new contract.
“I don’t think we’ll be seeing him in Buffalo anytime soon,” Schefter declared. “And again the start of training camp will be the next critical moment. If they don’t have a deal done there by then does James Cook show up for training camp? Does he risk the penalties that come along in the collective bargaining agreement if he doesn’t show up? But look we’ve seen the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason reward Saquon Barkley. We’ve seen the Baltimore Ravens reward Derek Henry. We have not seen the Buffalo Bills pay James Cook yet. And James Cook’s a valuable member of that offense but I don’t believe that these two sides are anywhere close to a deal at this point in time.”
Bills fans will be hopeful that Cook’s presence at mandatory minicamp is a sign of progress on contract talks.
Ultimately, Cook may have showed up simply so he is not fined for missing mandatory minicamp.
Regardless, this is one situation to watch throughout the week.
The post James Cook makes surprise mandatory minicamp decision amid contract standoff appeared first on ClutchPoints.
