The Buffalo Bills running back has made a move that could create a new tactic in team negotiations for years to come.
James Cook has finished his third season with the Buffalo Bills. If the phrase “third time’s the charm” were an NFL player, it would be Cook.
The Buffalo Bills running back rushed for 507 yards and two touchdowns in his first year, doubled the rushing yards total in his second year with 1122 yards and two touchdowns, and beat both marks in his third season. In 2024, the running back stacked 16 touchdowns on top of 1009 yards and is out looking for blood.
Cook has publicly asked for more money for running backs and reportedly has asked for $15 million. He hasn’t gotten it yet. As such, Josh Allen’s rusher went one step further than the typical pressure tactic of wiping his social media of all Bills logos, listing his house for sale.
That move caught NFL insider Ian Rapoport’s attention.
Ian Rapoport takes note of James Cook’s move to pressure Bills
Of course, Cook isn’t the only player trying to pressure GM Brandon Beane this offseason, but the running back’s move to place his house on the market deserved attention from Ian Rapoport. Players rarely, if ever, put up their homes for sale just to make a point. Cook might have done so, potentially setting the stage for more players to do so in the future.
Speaking on an April 4 edition of the “Pat McAfee Show,” insider Ian Rapoport explained his expectations for something to happen.
“The house for sale is sort of something that always catches my eye… players know it gets reported.
“So when you do that, it’s a pretty big statement that’s as big as taking your team out of your social media. … Does it really affect things? I don’t know, but everyone notices,” Rapoport said.
He continued: “I followed this world enough where when a player takes a team out of social media or unfollows, stuffs about to go down, like something is not right. I know the negotiations didn’t go great. … I’m not sure him coming out and saying that he wanted to make $15 million was really like the most welcome thing in the organization.”
“I think there will have to be a sort of conversation to get everyone back on the same page and maybe reel back some of what’s been public, but as of right now, this is not in the greatest place of all time,” he added.
Cook is entering an interesting moment in his career due to his contract situation.
The running back looks like a first round pick, runs like a first-round pick, but he wasn’t one. That has caused the drama to take place a year earlier.
James Cook’s draft position came back to bite Bills
Cook was drafted 63rd overall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Had he been drafted in the first round, the Bills could have avoided this conversation for another year. That’s because the Bills likely could have taken the fifth-year option in every first-round pick’s contract.
However, since he was drafted in the second round, there is no fifth-year option. The running back’s contract expires after the 2025 season, when he will be heading into an age 27 season in 2026.
As such, the Bills now have to deal with their back a year earlier. Even if they drag out the conversation and franchise tag him after the season, it’s not a replacement for a fifth-year option.
Now, the Bills have to choose between paying the running back after just three years of action, letting him walk, trading him or franchise tagging him. None of the options are likely ideal from the team’s perspective. Which will they elect to go with?
