All Activity

Because our talent level sucks, who exactly was going to hold out again?

100% behind not playing and letting the team down when we are trying to win a superbowl. Sorry no.

You see he's got the business socks on? Then you know it's business time.

I mean, if you wanna try and sling it and push the ball a bit more than you normally would then practice is the place to do it lol. I'm glad he was able to minimize the turnovers last season but I accepted long ago that the dude might throw a pick or two but (typically) his pros outweigh the cons. Threw a pick in the first on a second down play from midfield? Sure, but then he went ham for four TDs and a big dub so, pick forgiven lol.

My final thoughts yall like Beane in his 9 years, this never happened and he re signed many guys, so just ask yourself, is this a Bills problem or a Cook problem? This culture is solidified, they're rock solid, ***** James Cook

That is a bad way to run a team. Beane made his offer and based on Beanes history it's a fair one. Cook doesnt want to accept it, he can go pound sand.

Is this the thread where we express outrage at a millionaire demanding a higher wage paid by a billionaire?

I agree. And similarly James Cook should stop with the Saquon stuff. Him and his brother. That's the whole point!

If he refuses to play regular season games he will be fined. They can technically sue for breach of contract, but they wont.

The bills are not a team with a balanced balanced budget. They are one of the teams pushing money into the future withhold years….. it leading the league that is the eagles. But they are easy top 10 and probably higher in leveraging the future. I understand you want every player who sounds available and had an all pro year but that is not going to happen. The saints have not cleaned up their mess…they just keep pushing it forward and sucking. what great qbs are not making it to their late 30s? Cam Newton maybe is one example but he never was the passer Allen is. He could just hang it up early but all the recent greats have played that long or longer.

Loved this guy since day 1 , what a character Imagine 27 gets close to his early years, that'd be a lethal duo with Agent 47, best duo in the Allen McD era and we have Mad Max waiting

What happens if he gets hurt?

Fair enough, all reasonable points. Not sure I agree, but for interest why do you think then that the Bills don't use him more? Why is he not up at 70%+ like the big boys? They must have a reason for keeping him down below 50% and they must be at least as good as you at evaluating that? To be honest I thought earlier in the season it was just management, keep him fresh for the postseason, but then we got there and right enough - 50% again. So it was a fixed plan by all appearances Not on the wind up - what do those who think he can take a higher workload think is the reason the Bills disagree?

So if he plays a game the team doesn't have to pay him? Never knew that. Thanks for the info.

Stop with the Saquon stuff. It’s not true, you’re too gullible to be taken seriously.

This is exactly the point. If the Bills can get difference making explosive plays from one of their pass catchers they should absolutely not pay James Cook. But they haven't had that. The only guy on the offense who makes explosive plays aside from Josh is Cook. If that is still the case come February / March you have to ask what is the best way of securing that for your football team in 2026. I very much doubt a wide receiver who is anything like a slam dunk to give you that hits FA.... so you are either left with the option to trade an asset for one and then pay them (the DK Metcalf debate all over again) or you pay Cook to provide them from the running back position. I think paying a running back is absolutely sub-optimal in this NFL. It might be slightly less sub-optimal than leaving Josh with nobody beyond himself to make explosive plays.

prime Alvin Kamara would be his absolute ceiling imo

Your problem is you’re not correct in your personnel evaluation of this player and impact on the team. Yes,Beane is not willing to pay RBs before their contract demands it. How can you not acknowledge Beane hasn’t extended any RBs or even offered them a 2nd deal other than an occasional inexpensive role player on a one year deal. He wants Cook to take the hometown discount.We’ve never had a RB as good as Cook since Thurman,30 years ago.Don’t demonize Cook or his agents, they deserve a second contract and the market dictates, given Cook’s production, a number between 14 or 15 for 3 years. Deal with it.

It's a relative concept and it depends on what a person feels they're worth. All people should have the stones to pursue what they think they're worth. Most people don't. They shrivel and accept what they get. If Cook wants to go after more, as is the case with most premier NFL talent, then by all means go get it. It doesn't mean he's less of anything. Teammate, player, or otherwise. We need more players who think they're good enough to hold out. So many people on here applaud Beane for all these guys he signs to a 2nd contract. Newsflash, the Beane special is a reflection of a player who doesn't think he is worth more on the open market more than Team, Process, and City. That isn't a good thing. Cook is the only hold out we have had in the entire McD era. We need more of these situations, not less.

other guys as in teammates you make more than maybe 90% of people on the planet. you make more than 99.9% of everyone who's ever lived

I enjoy the fans who go so over the top in defending the player. Yall are right, Cook has every right to do what he’s doing. I agree. Why do other fans have to like it? I don’t root for the Buffalo Cooks. I root for the Buffalo Bills and if he had his way, we’d have 15M+ against the cap for the next 4 years, paying a RB while a guy like Torrence walks or we don’t have money to take a swing on a Palmer or Bosa. I don’t begrudge him, but he’s not a DE, he’s not a WR, he’s not even a Top 3 RB. I do believe he has Alvin Kamara in his prime potential, but I haven’t seen that yet. Beane better be **** sure that’s in there if he’s gonna meet him where Cook wants to show back up for us.

Reporting to camp and participating for the first week only to randomly hold in seems so weird.

They dialled his rushes down by 30 and he played a game fewer. It equates to about one rush per game. Which I think we can safely attribute to the Bills being a 13-3 football team and load managing across their roster rather than one that was balls to the wall the whole home stretch in 2023 to make the post season. The "oh he is too small" is something dinosaurs stuck in the 1990s say. And I am not even banging the table to keep Cook. But he could take a larger workload, his size does not hold him back at all. He wins because he has elite vision.

I think you are underestimating things. There is a reason Beane seemed to complain that Cook is holding in. He sees things both short term and long term. Cook will play this season, probably week 1. But GMs and coaches are control freaks and don’t like the unpredictability going into the regular season. On top of that, Shakir is probably questionable for week 1. So going into Week 1 vs the Ravens they could have questionable statuses for their top RB and WR from last year. Long term, Beane will either have to plan to let him walk and fill the position someway else. If Davis, Keon, or Palmer don’t emerge as difference makers this year, that leaves Shakir as the only proven skill position difference maker on your roster. And would be something Beane would have to spend free agency and the draft trying to replace. If he franchises him it will just be to get a long term contract done. The franchise tag is likely to be 15 million plus next year for running backs anyway which would be fully guaranteed and a tough contract to workaround with the cap. For a team that values consistency, that seems onerous. Whatever happens, it will be interesting.

I really liked James Cook till I started reading the responses here Maybe we can get a 7th rounder in 2028