No one can blame Buffalo Bills running back James Cook for having a very high opinion of himself. After all, given the way he has performed across the last two seasons, why wouldn’t he?
What the Bills think of Cook, who has established himself as one of the most productive backs in the NFL, is another matter and we do not have a definitive answer today, and may not this month, or perhaps even through the balance of 2025.
As Cook heads into the final year of his rookie contract — one that is scheduled to carry a cap hit of $5.7 million which currently sits 17th among all NFL backs for 2025 — he has taken to social media to plead his case for a massive pay increase.
James Cook has said he is worth $15M
Everyone saw his Instagram post last month where he proclaimed he was worth $15 million per year, and shortly thereafter, as a guest on the Nightcap podcast hosted by former NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, he reiterated his request.
“I just feel like we’re deserving of it,” he said, speaking of himself specifically and of running backs in general. “Like, why not? We work all of our life to get paid. Feed me the big bucks.”
Like all running backs, Cook is fighting the new order in the NFL, one that has devalued the position to the point where in terms of franchise tags, if a team were to place one on a running back in 2025, the pay would be $13.6 million for that one season. That’s the second-lowest tag number, ahead of only a special teams player, which is $6.3 million.
Franchise tags are calculated by taking the average of the top five salaries at each position. In 2026, based on the current salary information, the running back tag would increase to $14.2 million, still ahead of only a special teams tag.
Several options to weigh for Buffalo Bills
So Bills general manager Brandon Beane has to make a big decision in the next calendar year before Cook is eligible for unrestricted free agency in March 2026.
Does he extend Cook’s contract, enabling him to join his fellow 2022 Bills draft class members Terrel Bernard and Khalil Shakir, who earlier this month were each extended four additional seasons?
Or does Beane wait to see what Cook does in 2025 and then try to get a deal done next offseason before the start of the new league year? If Beane does that, and he can’t come to an agreement with Cook’s agent, he could choose to use the franchise tag to lock him up for one more season and keep the negotiating window open, or risk losing him to another team.
“I want to go chase the highest of the highest, and I’m going to keep doing it,” Cook said on Nightcap. “I’m going to stand on what I stand on and I don’t want to feel like a cancer at all. Because I don’t like all that attention and all that. That’s not me, honestly. I’m just standing on business and what I deserve.”
Cook has been a key part of the Buffalo offense the last two years. In 2023 he ranked fourth in the NFL with 1,122 rushing yards and sixth in yards from scrimmage with 1,567. Last season, he was ninth in rushing at 1,009 yards, 26th in yards from scrimmage at 1,267, but he became a scoring machine as he tied for the league lead with 16 rushing TDs and was tied for second in total TDs at 18.
“I love James,” Beane said at the scouting combine last month. “James is a beautiful man, he really is. He’s a great dude. James speaks from the heart; he means well. I want James here, hopefully, like a lot of guys. The business is the business. Just because we’re not on the same page today doesn’t mean we wouldn’t be tomorrow, two weeks, two months, two years (from now).”
Buffalo Bills return all running backs from 2024
By re-signing free agent Ty Johnson, the Bills are bringing back their entire 2024 running back room, which also includes Cook, 2024 fourth-round pick Ray Davis, and practice squad player Frank Gore Jr. They even re-signed Darrynton Evans. who has been with the team in the last two training camps but has yet to appear in a game.
Johnson’s new deal carries through 2026, and Davis’ rookie deal goes through 2027, so the upcoming NFL Draft could provide a hint as to what Beane is thinking regarding Cook beyond 2025.
If Beane drafts a running back somewhere inside the first four rounds, that player could be looked upon as the future starter at the position. Or, he could be a depth addition if the Bills feel confident that Davis and Johnson can become the 1-2 punch should Cook no longer be on the team, and do so for far less than what a new Cook salary cap hit would entail.
James Cook’s strong and weak points in Buffalo Bills offense
The issue with Cook’s asking price is that even with all his success, he is not a three-down back in Buffalo, mainly because he’s a poor pass protector. Last year Cook’s snap count per game was 30, which tied for 39th among all running backs. There were 20 backs who averaged 40 or more snaps per game, led by Kyren Williams of the Rams who averaged 56.
In his favor is that when Cook was on the field, he was utilized. On his 485 total snaps, Cook either touched the ball on a run or pass, or was targeted with a pass, 51% of the time, which tied for the sixth-highest rank. He’s a key man in the offense, and he and Beane both know it.
In 2024, Cook was on the field for 248 pass snaps in the regular season and he was asked to block on just 11, and he admitted, “I have to be able to be on the field every down in key situations. I feel like I can do it. At this point, what else can I do? Man, just keep me on the field, and great things will happen.”
The playing time situation is something Beane has to factor into his offer for a player who will turn 26 in September, playing a position where the attrition rate is high once they get into a second contract.
“I don’t want to get into what we can justify or not,” Beane said. “I think James can play on third down. I don’t think there’s a reason he can’t. If I was going to say anything he can improve on, probably pass pro — he can continue to improve that. Every contract has its own nuances to it and you’re comparing the market and things like that. James is a good player for us. He has the ability to be a mismatch player; he can play all three downs. He helped our offense do a lot of great things and we would love to keep James here long term.”