1:32pm: Cook’s contract includes $15.28MM guaranteed at signing, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who adds this is an $11.5MM-per-year deal (as opposed to the $12MM number reported earlier). While Cook’s guarantee at signing is only 10th among running backs — behind three rookie deals — the full guarantees increase to $25.91MM by 2026. The Bills guaranteed $5MM of Cook’s 2026 compensation at signing; another $4.41MM will shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee February 9, 2026.
An important trigger on this contract comes on Day 5 of the 2026 league year, when Florio indicates $6.22MM of Cook’s $9.13MM 2027 base salary shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee. Cook’s camp did well to secure a year-out guarantee; the remaining $2.91MM of his 2027 base salary becomes fully guaranteed on Day 5 of the 2027 league year. Cook’s final $1.18MM in injury guarantees cover the 2028 season; otherwise, his 2028 and ’29 salaries are nonguaranteed. Cook’s four-year contract matches the term length of the Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard, Gregory Rousseau and Christian Benford extensions from the spring.
8:38am: The Bills have reached an agreement with running back James Cook on a four-year contract extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal has a base value of $48MM with $30MM in guaranteed money, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Cook’s $12MM APY is the sixth-highest among running backs, and his guarantees trail only Saquon Barkley and Ashton Jeanty‘s rookie contract. He will now be under contract in Buffalo through the 2029 season.
Buffalo had been trying to extend Cook for most of the offseason. He publicly demanded $15MM per year, and negotiations stalled in the spring. The two sides appeared to be making progress on a number of occasions, including when Cook showed up for mandatory minicamp and took the field at the start of training camp.
However, Cook stopped practicing in early August, citing “business” as the reason and raising doubt that a deal would get done before Week 1. He returned to the field on Tuesday, a clear signal that he and the team were close to an agreement. Indeed, Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed that Cook ending his hold-in was a show of good faith that helped get both sides back to the negotiating table.
“Once we got him back on the practice field, we really worked hard,” added Beane (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg).
Set to turn 26 in late September, Cook arrived in Buffalo as the 63rd overall pick in the 2022 draft. He spent his rookie year playing second fiddle to veteran Devin Singletary but took over the starting job in 2023 with his first thousand-yard season, plus another 445 yards through the air to reach 1,567 yards from scrimmage on the year. Last year, he saw a slight downtick in both rushing attempts and receiving targets as part of an overall reduction in playing time. Cook, however, led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns — no small task given Josh Allen‘s impact around the goal line — as the Bills deployed another high-powered offense after trading Stefon Diggs to the Texans.
Beane said that the Bills still believe that Cook is “a three-down type player” despite playing just 48% of the team’s offensive snaps last year, down from 55% the year prior.
“We think he could take more, but we also want to use our other weapons and keep him as fresh as possible,” continued Beane. “We think that’s the best utilization of him.”
Keeping Cook fresh in 2024 allowed him to rank sixth among running backs in yards per carry last season. He also tied Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns.
Cook’s agent, Zac Hiller of LAA Sports & Entertainment, released a statement on his client’s behalf: “James could only envision himself as a Buffalo Bill. We are extremely thankful to the entire Bills organization and glad we could make that happen.”
Cook is now the sixth Bill to sign a multiyear extension this offseason, capping off an impressive string of signings for Beane and his front office. They made several tough decisions by cutting long-tenured veterans last offseason to free up cash and cap space to get their young core under contract. With that mission accomplished, the Bills will spend the next few seasons trying to get over the hump and finally bring a Super Bowl to Buffalo.