One big point of emphasis for the Buffalo Bills this offseason has been to take care of their own.
While free agency is used to attract and sign outside players, it is also used to tie down your own to new deals, and Bills general manager Brandon Beane has been busier than most.
Gregory Rousseau, Christian Benford, Terrel Bernard, and Khalil Shakir all signed extensions, and funnily enough, all were four-year deals.
And as it turns out, the length of the contracts isn't a coincidence, as from Beane's perspective, he wanted to show how committed the franchise was to its players.
"We believe in them, and we want them to be here and we want them to know that," Beane said. "If we're going to commit, let's commit here for a considerable time."
Plus, we add in Josh Allen's extension, and the Bills have nailed their colors to the mast of these five players to be the driving force for the franchise for the next four years.
Of course, the big elephant in the room is running back James Cook, with him being vocal about wanting a new contract, but he has seen a host of others get their futures sorted instead.
But Beane said that just because Cook isn't done now, it doesn't mean he won't be next year.
"Just because we don't have James signed today doesn't mean next year we can't get him done before he gets to free agency," Beane said.
With an emphasis on getting the core group of leaders signed, it remains to be seen if Cook fits into that, and at roughly $15 million APY, it is a big decision the franchise has to make.
The Bills have shown their commitment to the quartet above, plus Allen, but will they show the same to Cook?
