Fourth-year running back James Cook and the Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement on a $48 million extension with $30 million guaranteed over four years. The deal was inked before practice Wednesday morning and will tie cook to the Bills through 2029.
Cook returned to practice on Tuesday, signaling that a deal was closing in after he voluntarily sat out of the Week 1 preseason game and multiple practices over the span of a week.
This is just one extension in what has turned out to be a busy offseason for GM Brandon Beane, who has now extended six players in one summer, which are listed below with their respective contracts.
QB Josh Allen – 6 years, $330M
DE Gregory Rousseau – 4 years, $80M
CB Christian Benford – 4 years, $76M
WR Khalil Shakir – 4 years, $53M
LB Terrel Bernard – 4 years, $50M
RB James Cook – 4 years, $48M
The Bills have shown their willingness and desire to re-sign Cook since the start of the offseason, with negotiations intensifying around the draft and training camp. However, they were far apart in negotiations at the start. The recent signing of RB Kyren Williams of the Los Angeles Rams to a 3-year, $33 million deal could have provided both sides with a benchmark to find common ground.
Cook has made the Pro Bowl twice with the Bills and was on the field for 47.5% of snaps last season, sharing the ground with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis. Despite this, Cook still managed to tie O.J. Simpson’s Bills single-season rushing touchdown record (16) and posted a total of 18 touchdowns on the season.
The hold-in is now over, and the Bills can look forward to another four years of having a top rushing threat, something they haven’t had consistently since LeSean McCoy.