The long wait is over for the Bills and one of their top players.
After a nine-day hold-in that began on Aug. 3 and ended Tuesday, the Bills and top running back James Cook agreed to a new four-year deal that will keep him under contract with the team through the 2029 season, a league source told The Athletic.
The value of the deal is $48 million over four new years, with $30 million in guarantees.
The average value of $12 million per season ranks sixth among league running backs, according to Spotrac, and comes in just above the $11 million that Kyren Williams secured in the contract he signed with the Los Angeles Rams this month.
Although the deal falls short of the $15 million per year Cook indicated he wanted in a social media post in February, both he and the Bills maintained all along that they wanted to get a long-term deal done to keep him in Buffalo beyond this season.
This is fifth contract extension the Bills have negotiated this offseason with players on the final year of their rookie deals. Cook joins wide receiver Khalil Shakir, linebacker Terrel Bernard, defensive end Greg Rousseau and cornerback Christian Benford as the key members to surround NFL MVP Josh Allen moving forward. Shakir, Bernard and Benford were part of the team’s 2022 draft class with Cook, while Rousseau, a 2021 pick, was entering his fifth-year option year in 2025.
“Unfortunately you never want a hold in or hold out or any of that stuff you want at all. But at the end of the day, you guys know our motto here. We want to draft and develop and re-sign,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said. “This is another draft pick that we’re proud of and excited to extend and and fortunately late last night we got it across the finish line.”
Cook tied the franchise record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season with 16 in 2024, and reached the 1,000-yard mark for a second straight season. He became Buffalo’s go-to early-down runner over the last two seasons and helped transform the Bills’ rushing attack into an incredibly efficient unit.
Cook, who turns 26 in September, was seeking a new contract the entire offseason. Yet at the beginning of training camp, Bills head coach Sean McDermott commented that the running back was “ready to go,” and Cook fully participated in the first eight practices of camp when the team was away at St. John Fisher University.
That stopped with the Bills’ ninth practice. Still, Cook remained with the team, taking part in all team meetings and walkthroughs. He even went through warmups ahead of the team’s preseason game against the Giants. However, he did not participate in any capacity with the team in any non-game warmup settings where there was full contact. The week-long hold-in ended Tuesday with Cook returning to practice.
Cook’s teammates, coaches and members of the team’s front office remained consistent in vocalizing how much they cared for the running back and what he meant to the team. It was seemingly never a question of if the two side wanted to get a deal done, but only if the Bills and Cook’s representatives could find middle ground on the player’s valuation.
“I think we had an understanding that, you know, we need to practice if we’re going to be able to get back to the table. And so I think there was good faith on both parts from him and his agent to our side. Once we once we got him back on the practice field, we really worked hard yesterday,” Beane said. “I think it was roughly 11:00 or so last night where we were able to say were both sides are good with this and we’ll get it signed in the morning.”
The Cook contract marks the first time under Beane that the Bills have given a lucrative second contract to a running back they drafted. Beane had never been against the notion of paying a running back, but was waiting for a player deemed to be the right fit for Buffalo’s offense.
With Cook signed past 2025, the Bills have their entire running back room under contract through at least the 2026. Second-year running back Ray Davis is signed through the 2027 season, while third-down back Ty Johnson is signed through 2026.
The Bills will open up their 2025 regular season at home against the Baltimore Ravens on “Sunday Night Football.”
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
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