Einstein's Dog

I do want to backstep a bit and reiterate that I think Cook is an exciting RB. He has really come on and IMO is close to top 5. While everyone seems to dread the Lamar/D Henry combo I thought there was a little disrespect to the Josh/Cook dynamic - it's that much of a factor. I would prefer an extension, and for more years than several on this thread (just not at $15M/yr). I think the 200ish carries will preserve Cook and he has several good years left. Unfortunately I guess I don't like seeing the negotiations playing out in front of me. It makes me fear things have gone South.

I think you will see that this is also the opinion of Beane. But at least the odds are we get Cook this year - and if Cook hasn't peaked- maybe franchise tag him the year after.

McD thought different personnel were better suited to play on the critical drive at crunch time than Cook. That does not reflect well on Cook. You call it a clear mistake that Cook wasn't out there but yet you don't know why. I don't know why McD did not have Cook out there, but I'm extremely confident McD wanted to win. And McD thought his best way to win at that time was with different players than Cook out there. While Spotrac is just one service giving their evaluation at $10.2M, it should help some understand why many think the $15M claim was ridiculous.

I think the D Swift comparisons are more about the stats - the worth of a somewhat young player who has 200 carries, 1,000ish yds + approx 40 receptions for 300 yds with a good OL in front of them. Swift got 3yrs $24M with $15M guaranteed. Spotrac has J Cook's market value listed at $10.2M/yr (4yrs $40.8M).

How about we just look at the market price of a 200 carry 1,000 yd-ish back - (+ 50 rec for 300 yds) because that is what he has been, and that is the role the Bills have in mind for him. And that is not a $15M role. The useless bit of information about Cook's relative usage on our team is irrelevant. Without Cook someone else would be the second most productive player. And if that player got 200 carries and around 1,000 yards they too would not get $15M, no matter how exciting they look doing it. While you can downplay the 2 v 3 downs, you don't mention Cook not being out there during the crunch drive vs KC. Lets not pretend the coaches didn't want their best personnel out there - and Cook was not on the field. A $15M player should be out there in crunch time.

To me it's a ridiculous amount, and I think to most fans it looks unreasonable - at the time it was $3M more than Barkley. And it's beyond the top end of the 2 down RB market. It signifies Cook wants to be paid at the top tier of the 3 down workhorse RB market - which he is not currently in (thus the Shakir example). I still can't figure out why Cook's team put that out there - what good did they think could come from it. As for social media games, the Diggs thing turned the Bills fanbase against him. And Poyer's wasn't much better, seemingly orchestrated by his wife.

Who? What other Bills player put out a ridiculous amount they wanted to get paid? I didn't hear about it but I don't have active accounts of all players. Seems like all the other Bills players quietly got deals done.

What other Bills player put out anything similar? And lets not forget his brother's nonsense, or putting the house up for sale. Cook's been quiet now, maybe because they let him look into trade/pay partners and found it to be limited. Cook has been an exciting 2 down back, in the top tier of those. Close to D Henry ($8M) level. Shakir is also an exciting WR. But he is a slot WR so he got paid at the slot level, not at the DK Metcalf level. Cook is a 2 down back that appears to want to be paid like a 3 down workhorse back. I don't think the Bills plan on using him like that, or paying him like that. For me, there's no love lost on the business side of this now. Play Cook at his bargain $5M (and if he doesn't show - fine him). Then next year you have the decision of whether or not to franchise tag him. They wanted hardball, they got it. Beane can do this while saying the whole time "How he loves J Cook and J Cook means everything to this team".

Sometimes it's the way people go about things. I don't begrudge Cook for trying to get paid, but I don't need to hear about it. What good did going on social media do him? For the most part, it just made Cook look overly greedy - a ridiculous amount of an ask ($15M). How did they expect the Bills fanbase to react? No, I don't want Beane to give in to what look like the petulant demands of a greedy team (Cook/brother/agent). The other 4-5 draft players were able to quietly get decent deals done. And $8-$10M isn't chump change - if they weren't idiots that amount could set them up for life. It seems like a good sign that the Bills FO didn't draft an RB, meaning they expect Cook to play. Seems we'll need to take it year by year with Cook.

The reason you quibble is because there is a salary cap. If you overpay for an RB there will be less funds for other positions. I would have rather the cap allocation went to DK Metcalf instead of an RB. Secondly, from a longer term perspective it's a bad look for the FO to be perceived to have given in to the demands of a squeaky wheel (see Dallas Cowboys). The way the FO negotiates has brought excellent deals with most of the good drafted players, making an exception will make future negotiations more difficult. Third, many people here are not placing the value of Cook for what he has done, but rather for what he could be. Cook's stats are at best, at the level of D Henry, $8M a year. Upstream people are saying he should be in the tier of Jacobs, Kamara, or A Jones - yet Cook has never put up those kind of numbers.

What? Where are you getting your incorrect figures from? Ty makes about $2.5/yr and Cook will get $5M this year.

I've seen you allude to this twice now and IMO it may set a bad precedent for Beane. The excellent deals Beane has been able to negotiate with the draft picks are dependent upon them offering a big pile of guaranteed money for contracting future years at their current market rates. You don't give a raise for a year and see how it turns out. Using Benford as an example, you give him two options - play out his current contract and then get big money as a FA if he doesn't get injured, or get a haul of guaranteed money now at your market rate. No middle roading it. Take it or leave it. Most players want guaranteed money now. So for Cook a similar negotiation was probably offered (and vehemently rejected from what we can tell). Following the protocol from above the FO would have offered Cook big guaranteed money to contract for future years at his current market value. I would guess his current market value would be around D Henry $8-9/yr for the future years. You can then see how Cook's team, that has the emotional IQ of a teenage school girl, would go to social media demanding $15M. You do not placate that by giving a one year exception.

I think you are right and there was drama. And it wasn't just the fanbase making it up. These guys know social media posts will garner attention. They know someone will notice if they put their house up for sale (even if it means they have to backdoor it by bringing it to someone's attention). But as I said above, I think the situation has cooled. It looks like Beane thinks J Cook will play this year. Hope he has that calculated correctly.

I think the drama has been dramatically reduced. The Bills did not trade him. The Bills didn't even draft another RB. To me that means Beane clearly expects J Cook to play. If Beane thought Cook was going to sit for the first 11 games I think Beane would have taken a different approach. Glad to see it didn't happen, we can't just replace Cook he is an exciting top tier RB. And to go one step further, depending on results this year (Superbowl + running offense) I think it's possible Beane puts in a big offer to retain Cook. Hasn't been his philosophy to date but things can change.

If they have changed plans now for whatever reason (no Aaron) and have embraced a tank, maybe our FO could float a 1st + something for DK (yes, I still regret not getting that guy).

If we're coming clean, I'm not really Einstein's Dog.

I think the non-drafting of an RB is a good sign. If Cook (agent/team) had told Beane trade him or Cook will hold out to week 11, then I think the Bills would have been looking at drafting an RB. And it wouldn't have been just the other teams calling, it would have also been the Bills on the phone to move Cook. Cook is an excellent, exciting RB that is a bargain at $5M. Great sign that he is going to be here playing on a contract year.

Maybe Pickens for J Cook? Trade problems on their contract years.

Wow, on Cook's side, that's different from me. I'm firmly in the trade Cook now camp. It was Cook that put out the ridiculous $15M. It has been Cook (meaning Cook's team - his bitter brother and newbie agent) doing the social media escapades - $15M, scrubbing account, putting house on sale, etc. Now doing a modification to Cook's contract to include incentives lessens Beane future negotiating. It also would make the players who Beane did previous deals with question if they did the right thing. Giving the squeaky media hound a break starts turning the Bills into Dallas North. The Bills just paid a big price with removing Diggs, stay the course and flush out Cook for the future of the team. The Bills have a bright future. Yes, you lose a talented top 10 RB by trading Cook. But you also cut loose a distraction early (before a Diggs level problem). You lessen a risk - Cook doing a "hold-in" for over half the season. You get something for 2025 by doing it now, and you get to replenish the RB room with another RB. And it would be exciting to get another 2nd round draft pick.

Round 2 is a good place to move J Cook (maybe to Dallas). Get a decent pick to use on some of the upper players. - like Scourton + Collins and/or a S. And then figure out moving up in the 3rd for an RB.

Getting close to a Cook trade to move up for a 1st round rated CB.

Along with Barron

Hope the Cowboys don't do anything stupid like take an RB (Hampton).

Bowers

Was hoping Jeanty would go in the top 10. Helps move the value of Cook up for a trade.