James Cook seems to have set his extension expectations.
The Buffalo Bills running back appears to be looking for a new deal averaging around $15 million. Cook went on Instagram Live on Wednesday and pinned his own comment that said “15 mill year,” per the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Cook enters the final year of his rookie contract set to earn $5.142 million in base salary. He is now eligible for an extension.
The $15 million figure likely isn’t pulled out of thin air. The figure would slot behind only Christian McCaffrey’s $19 million per year among running backs. It would vault Cook over the likes of Jonathan Taylor ($14 million), Saquon Barkley ($12.583 million), Alvin Kamara ($12.25 million), Josh Jacobs ($12 million) and others. All of those backs are older than the 25-year-old Cook.
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A Pro Bowler, Cook is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. He tied for the NFL lead with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024, and his 4.9 yards per carry average ranked fifth among all running backs with at least 200 carries. Perhaps if the Bills hadn’t forgotten about Cook for a large chunk of the AFC Championship Game, they’d have been the club representing the conference in the Super Bowl.
Whether Buffalo agrees that Cook is worth $15 million – or close to that vicinity — is a different story. The Bills shared the carries last year, including rookie Ray Davis generating 113 totes. If they desire to continue with a committee approach, paying one back north of $10 million makes less sense. Buffalo also owns the threat of the franchise tag in 2026, which could be around $15 million (projected to be roughly $13.629 million in 2025).
A player signaling his hopes in negotiations and where that figure eventually lands are not congruent. However, Cook’s willingness to share — and pin — a concrete number gives us an idea of how he values himself ahead of negotiations, which is a vital piece of the equation.