PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — James Cook had no second thoughts about reporting for training camp despite the lack of progress in the Buffalo Bills running back’s bid to land a lucrative contract extension.
One way or another, Cook is confident he’s going to get his big payday once his current deal expires after the season.
“I mean, however it happens, it’s going to get done, wherever it happens,” Cook said Thursday following the second day of Bills camp in the Rochester suburbs. “I deserve what I want, what I need, and it’s eventually going to happen.”
The fourth-year player is banking on himself to show the Bills and the rest of the NFL he’s worth the $15 million annual salary Cook first proposed in a social media post in February. Among NFL running backs, his asking price would match what Baltimore’s Derrick Henry is set to make this season and is behind only Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million) and San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey ($19 million).
“It ain’t how I feel. I mean, the reality of it is that it’s just real,” Cook said, describing how he arrived at the figure after a breakout season in which he tied Henry for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns.
After skipping the Bills’ voluntary spring sessions, Cook took part in three days of mandatory practices last month and has been working out regularly during the first two days of camp.
Aside from avoiding potential fines, Cook said another reason for his participation is to show his teammates and the Bills that he’s committed to winning.
Though the lines of communication remain open, there’s little indication of the two sides approaching an agreement.
Speaking a day earlier, general manager Brandon Beane reiterated that he would like nothing more than to reach an agreement with Cook. At the same time, Beane stressed there’s only so much room under the salary cap after the Bills reached long-term deals in the offseason with several core players — including quarterback Josh Allen.
“Sometimes you can’t get on the same page or sometimes you’re trying to fit it in. There’s times guys have left here that we really wanted. We just couldn’t make it work,” Beane said. “But I can tell you, I’m hopeful when we’re sitting here at next year’s training camp that James Cook is out there practicing and still representing the red, white and blue.”
A 2022 second-round pick out of Georgia, Cook has been a starter since his second season. He has stabilized the Bills’ running game while also catching 73 passes for for 703 yards and six TDs over the past two years.
“Just take it up a notch,” Cook said of his goals for this season. “Just whatever I could do to help the team win games and contribute, I’m willing to do it.”
He cited Allen and the fan base as reasons he wants to stay in Buffalo, before referring to the Bills as “a great organization.”
“They drafted me for a reason I feel like, and I’m willing to be here and spend the rest of my career here,” Cook said.
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