Mini-Camp: A James Cook Barometer

[BigAl2526]

Mandatory mini-camp starts a week from today.  Among other things, it will give us a little more of an indication of how serious the rift is between Cook and the Bills.  Presumable, if Cook shows up, it is an early indication Cook is willing to play out his rookie deal before offering his services up for open bid in 2026 and beyond.  If he doesn't show up, it raises the odds of a holdout that could last into training camp.

[FireChans]

He won't be there.

 

Dalvin held out the offseason.

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29283874/vikings-rb-dalvin-cook-hold-reasonable-deal-source-says

[Gregg]

If he is not at TC, then I will be concerned. I don't expect him to be at mini-camp.

[NoSaint]

I would be shocked if he shows up this week. 
 

until camp it’s all just noise. 

[JP51]

I am not hopeful he shows up for mini camp... because I think it is at least "pretty" contentious at this point and it is mandatory I believe... but not at a panic level.. now if he doesnt show up for camp... that is when we get into distraction time... and then my hopes for an amicable resolution begin to get concerned...  but I still remain hopeful overall that cooler heads prevail and there is a fair deal struck...  but I do worry that Dalvin is in James head right now... 

[dcinmuncie]

if king Henry is worth 15 million, james is not. that contract really hurt his value, IMO

[Slippery Rubber Mats]

1 minute ago, dcinmuncie said:

if king Henry is worth 15 million, james is not. that contract really hurt his value, IMO

 

Totally agree. I think Henry's contact is whatr ends up getting a deal done with Cook. He can't justify his price tag now

[eee1776]

How about someone being honorable enough to play out the contract he signed.

[FireChans]

4 minutes ago, eee1776 said:

How about someone being honorable enough to play out the contract he signed.

James Cook plays bad or gets hurt playing basketball and the team can get out of the contract they signed with next to no penalty.

[Captain Hindsight]

14 minutes ago, eee1776 said:

How about someone being honorable enough to play out the contract he signed.

Oh please. Players get cut one year into a 3 year contract all the time. I want Cook to be here, but I'm not going to vilify a guy for trying to get more money. 

[transient]

58 minutes ago, dcinmuncie said:

if king Henry is worth 15 million, james is not. that contract really hurt his value, IMO

I don't necessarily think it changes Cook's asking price. In addition to being a reflection of his talent, Henry's contract is also a reflection of the fact that he's a RB over 30 with a lot of wear. It's the highest contract in league history for a RB over 30.

[gjv]

I'm not sure in today's NFL, Cook is a 15 mil/yr back. But I do believe that the Pro Bowl player on our offense with the 2nd most touches of the ball, 2nd most TD's, 3rd most receptions, and rushed for over 1000 yards is worth at least Josh Palmer and Khalil Shakir money. That would put him at a minimum in the 12 mil/yr, 60 mil 4-year contract range. 

[BillsFanForever19]

2 hours ago, FireChans said:

He won't be there.

 

Dalvin held out the offseason.

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29283874/vikings-rb-dalvin-cook-hold-reasonable-deal-source-says

 

Not the entire Offseason. Despite threatening to Hold Out, Dalvin reported to Training Camp on time.

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/vikings-rb-dalvin-cook-minnesota-is-where-i-want-to-be-at

Edited Tuesday at 07:30 PM by BillsFanForever19

[GunnerBill]

31 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Not the entire Offseason. Despite threatening to Hold Out, Dalvin reported to Training Camp on time.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1957722/2020/07/28/dalvin-cook-vikings-training-camp-report-contract-dispute/

 

I think some distinguish camp from offseason. Offseason = OTAs and mini camp. Training Camp = preseason. 

 

But I expect Cook to be at training camp. Whether it is day 1 or not, not sure. But he will be here.

[Senth]

Cook has no leverage .... he's gotta play and he's gotta produce big numbers to get his bag.

 

15 is out of the question ..... closer to 10 with incentives being a huge part of it imo.

[DrDawkinstein]

2 hours ago, eee1776 said:

How about someone being honorable enough to play out the contract he signed.

 

He is playing out the contract he signed. The entire discussion/negotiation is about his next contract. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

2 hours ago, eee1776 said:

How about someone being honorable enough to play out the contract he signed.

 

In a sport with an insanely short shelf-life, at a position with the highest risk of injury in the sport, i do not blame a player for doing what they gotta do to get paid.  

[DrDawkinstein]

7 minutes ago, Senth said:

Cook has no leverage .... he's gotta play and he's gotta produce big numbers to get his bag.

 

15 is out of the question ..... closer to 10 with incentives being a huge part of it imo.

 

15 is out of the question... with who? You? The Bills? Because if he repeats his 2024 season, then when he hits the open market he will absolutely get $15M/yr. Maybe more.

[MJS]

2 hours ago, Captain Hindsight said:

Oh please. Players get cut one year into a 3 year contract all the time. I want Cook to be here, but I'm not going to vilify a guy for trying to get more money. 

That's part of the contract, though. The player agrees to that and it is spelled out exactly what will happen if the contract is terminated early, including paying out gaurenteed money. There aren't provisions in contracts to allow players to skip mandatory practices or games, though.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, MJS said:

That's part of the contract, though. The player agrees to that and it is spelled out exactly what will happen if the contract is terminated early, including paying out gaurenteed money. There aren't provisions in contracts to allow players to skip mandatory practices or games, though.

 

CBA pretty much outlines the terms of holdouts too, so that to me would imply that its not altogether uncommon.