Thurman#1 Posted August 8 Posted August 8 (edited) 7 hours ago, Mister Defense said: Sound like you really dislike the 'dumb' guy.. A solid running back! Your post is a great example of an early post of mine in this thread, speaking of complimentary football. No one who watched football, and who has watched Cook the last few years,would just throw him in that basic category, solid, serviceable--can you say 'dime a dozen'? Same thing. It is why so many of the 'Let Cook walk' posters make no sense--they just say these kinds of things without much thought, without facts, thinking repeating the same nonsense over and over makes it legitimate somehow. It does not. And it doesn't work the way you say it could--or very rarely in the NFL- Josh throwing the heck out of the ball and running too? A one man show? Hate this cliche, but Superman returns? What you are saying works for you is exactly what the Bills worked so hard to move away from, knowing that a dynamic, physical and game changing running game was the missing element on this team. They have it now, with James Cook leading the way. The Bills have been focused like a laser on giving Josh the line, the skill players, the scheme, and game plan to make RUNNING a huge part of the Bills, post dorsey. Each time the Bills started running the ball more, with Daboll, at 7-6 after the Bucs game, and then after Brady took over for dorsey mid season, and then last year, in his first full year as the OC, they became a much better team--and Josh was at his best. In each of these examples the fundamental change was much more reliance on the running game. The Bills became one of the most run heavy teams in the league--each time. And the Bills, with that balance, became almost unbeatable each time. Not a coincidence, a plan, with an obvious commitment to the run. To bring out the best in Josh Allen, making him almost unstoppable with a high level running game at his disposal. So hopefully Beane and the Bills also don't see Georgia guys as simply stupid Georgia 'dumb asses' and do the right thing, the intelligent thing, and pay Cook what he is worth. They've almost certainly offered to pay Cook what he's worth. What they're not willing to do is OVERpay. And yes, the Bills are focused on giving him a run game. Within the team framework, anyway. That's far from the only thing they're focused on, but it is something they think is important. And it is what they're doing here. You don't like the WAY they're doing that. But that's what they're doing. Not overpaying is a part of that plan. Again, a part you don't like. But part of the plan. Edited August 8 by Thurman#1 2 Quote
BUFFALOBART Posted August 8 Posted August 8 7 hours ago, Terry Tate said: All he does is score touchdowns. If Cook gets traded, he'll become what Peerless Price turned into when he left the Bills. 2 1 Quote
Thurman#1 Posted August 8 Posted August 8 5 hours ago, Mister Defense said: It is extremely common practice in the NFL for players outplaying their rookie contracts to get new contracts, extensions. In fact, when that happens it seems to be done consistently. It is expected to happen. Teams don't know what exactly they are getting until the new player shows up on the field. This sometimes makes the rookie first contract not representative of the player's value. That is clearly the case with Cook, so he expects a big raise, playing like a game changing starting back, who can run and catch with the best backs in the league. It is a 'duh' that he deserves a new contract as he has far outplayed his rookie deal. And he wants to be paid like one of the best backs in the league, as he considers himself that. I do too and hope the Bills come to their senses--soon. Nonsense. It's not expected to happen. It's expected to happen sometimes. Disagreements on contract provisions and on how well a player is fulfilling his duties are constant and common in this league. And there's no reason whatsoever to think that the Bills have not given him an offer that's very fair for his production and the fact that he's signed for another year. Again, the other three-year players who signed contracts this year with the Bills understood that signing them early is a major concession by the Bills and should be treated as such. They signed contracts that guarantee them lives of ease for them and their families with just reasonable handling of their money. And yet gave the Bills a bit of a break on the terms. Cook isn't willing to do that. Just the opposite, he wants the Bills to sign a contract that's worth more than his production. After four years, that's more reasonable. After three ... well, it likely leads to the outcome we're seeing now. Cook will have to deal with the consequences, including unpleasant financial results if he suffers an injury during the season. 3 Quote
Herc11 Posted August 8 Posted August 8 1 hour ago, BUFFALOBART said: If Cook gets traded, he'll become what Peerless Price turned into when he left the Bills. No he won't. Price was a clear WR2 that got signed to WR1 money and position. He clearly didn't fit that role. Cook is dynamic and will flourish as long as he has a decent team with decent line, just like just about every RB besides Barry Sanders 2 Quote
Thurman#1 Posted August 8 Posted August 8 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Herc11 said: No he won't. Price was a clear WR2 that got signed to WR1 money and position. He clearly didn't fit that role. Cook is dynamic and will flourish as long as he has a decent team with decent line, just like just about every RB besides Barry Sanders Nah, that's hindsight. Sure, after it went down it was clear that Peerless wasn't a WR1. Not so before, though. Could've gone either way. My guess is also that Cook will do well elsewhere, but not as well as he is doing here with this OL and situation. Cook is running into light boxes at an extremely high rate as teams struggle to deal with Josh Allen. He won't have that advantage elsewhere. Edited August 8 by Thurman#1 5 1 Quote
Herc11 Posted August 8 Posted August 8 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said: Nah, that's hindsight. Sure, after it went down it was clear that Peerless wasn't a WR1. Not so before, though. Could've gone either way. My guess is also that Cook will do well elsewhere, but not as well as he is doing here with this OL and situation. Cook is running into light boxes at an extremely high rate as teams struggle to deal with Josh Allen. He won't have that advantage elsewhere. Price was a one-trick pony. Without Moulds on the team he wouldn't of put up those numbers either. And regardless of it being hindsight, it's why he failed on his next contract. Cook is a starting RB on any team in the NFL (given teams like philly didn't have Barkley, ravens and Henry, etc... Edited August 8 by Herc11 1 1 Quote
Thurman#1 Posted August 8 Posted August 8 23 minutes ago, Herc11 said: Price was a one-trick pony. Without Moulds on the team he wouldn't of put up those numbers either. And regardless of it being hindsight, it's why he failed on his next contract. Cook is a starting RB on any team in the NFL (given teams like philly didn't have Barkley, ravens and Henry, etc... Yes, with hindsight we know that. It wasn't a sure thing either way at the time. Price was a starting WR as well. Just not one who lived up to his contract. Cook is a starting RB on probably 24 teams around the league. That doesn't mean he'll be a success everywhere. For instance, one possible outcome would be that he signs with a team that plays him on 75% of snaps and his body can't hold up and he breaks down. You can't tell what'll happen. IMO the Bills are handling him right by limiting his snaps. Could be he could stand up to 75%. But there's no way to know. Could be he has one and a half more years of good production and then regresses. Just no way to know for sure. 1 Quote
Mike R Posted August 8 Posted August 8 The Bills are in a tough spot. They don’t have much cap space to work with. I’m sure Bean could get creative and kick the cap situation down the road again but at some point it catches up with you. Cook is a valuable piece to the offense. The second best player after Josh. It will be hard to replace his speed and home run ability. They could get by with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis but they wouldn’t be as good and would be in trouble if either gets injured. I think they will give him an extension of 3 years, 42 million with 30 million guaranteed. Cook would be foolish not to take it. Sure he wants 15 million a year but the market is just not paying that. Perhaps they could add incentives. He wants to be here and the Bills want him. He has a good situation where he doesn’t need to be an every down back and less rushing attempts will extend his playing career. Playing with Josh Allen and a good offensive line makes him a more productive player. He has to realize that and take it under consideration. I don’t think he will be as productive on a lesser team with a bad I line and qb. I will be pissed if he ends up in KC next year. The Bills are in a tough spot. They don’t have much cap space to work with. I’m sure Bean could get creative and kick the cap situation down the road again but at some point it catches up with you. Cook is a valuable piece to the offense. The second best player after Josh. It will be hard to replace his speed and home run ability. They could get by with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis but they wouldn’t be as good and would be in trouble if either gets injured. I think they will give him an extension of 3 years, 42 million with 30 million guaranteed. Cook would be foolish not to take it. Sure he wants 15 million a year but the market is just not paying that. Perhaps they could add incentives. He wants to be here and the Bills want him. He has a good situation where he doesn’t need to be an every down back and less rushing attempts will extend his playing career. Playing with Josh Allen and a good offensive line makes him a more productive player. He has to realize that and take it under consideration. I don’t think he will be as productive on a lesser team with a bad I line and qb. I will be pissed if he ends up in KC next year. The Bills are in a tough spot. They don’t have much cap space to work with. I’m sure Bean could get creative and kick the cap situation down the road again but at some point it catches up with you. Cook is a valuable piece to the offense. The second best player after Josh. It will be hard to replace his speed and home run ability. They could get by with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis but they wouldn’t be as good and would be in trouble if either gets injured. I think they will give him an extension of 3 years, 42 million with 30 million guaranteed. Cook would be foolish not to take it. Sure he wants 15 million a year but the market is just not paying that. Perhaps they could add incentives. He wants to be here and the Bills want him. He has a good situation where he doesn’t need to be an every down back and less rushing attempts will extend his playing career. Playing with Josh Allen and a good offensive line makes him a more productive player. He has to realize that and take it under consideration. I don’t think he will be as productive on a lesser team with a bad I line and qb. I will be pissed if he ends up in KC next year. The Bills are in a tough spot. They don’t have much cap space to work with. I’m sure Bean could get creative and kick the cap situation down the road again but at some point it catches up with you. Cook is a valuable piece to the offense. The second best player after Josh. It will be hard to replace his speed and home run ability. They could get by with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis but they wouldn’t be as good and would be in trouble if either gets injured. I think they will give him an extension of 3 years, 42 million with 30 million guaranteed. Cook would be foolish not to take it. Sure he wants 15 million a year but the market is just not paying that. Perhaps they could add incentives. He wants to be here and the Bills want him. He has a good situation where he doesn’t need to be an every down back and less rushing attempts will extend his playing career. Playing with Josh Allen and a good offensive line makes him a more productive player. He has to realize that and take it under consideration. I don’t think he will be as productive on a lesser team with a bad I line and qb. I will be pissed if he ends up in KC next year. The Bills are in a tough spot. They don’t have much cap space to work with. I’m sure Bean could get creative and kick the cap situation down the road again but at some point it catches up with you. Cook is a valuable piece to the offense. The second best player after Josh. It will be hard to replace his speed and home run ability. They could get by with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis but they wouldn’t be as good and would be in trouble if either gets injured. I think they will give him an extension of 3 years, 42 million with 30 million guaranteed. Cook would be foolish not to take it. Sure he wants 15 million a year but the market is just not paying that. Perhaps they could add incentives. He wants to be here and the Bills want him. He has a good situation where he doesn’t need to be an every down back and less rushing attempts will extend his playing career. Playing with Josh Allen and a good offensive line makes him a more productive player. He has to realize that and take it under consideration. I don’t think he will be as productive on a lesser team with a bad I line and qb. I will be pissed if he ends up in KC next year. The Bills are in a tough spot. They don’t have much cap space to work with. I’m sure Bean could get creative and kick the cap situation down the road again but at some point it catches up with you. Cook is a valuable piece to the offense. The second best player after Josh. It will be hard to replace his speed and home run ability. They could get by with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis but they wouldn’t be as good and would be in trouble if either gets injured. I think they will give him an extension of 3 years, 42 million with 30 million guaranteed. Cook would be foolish not to take it. Sure he wants 15 million a year but the market is just not paying that. Perhaps they could add incentives. He wants to be here and the Bills want him. He has a good situation where he doesn’t need to be an every down back and less rushing attempts will extend his playing career. Playing with Josh Allen and a good offensive line makes him a more productive player. He has to realize that and take it under consideration. I don’t think he will be as productive on a lesser team with a bad I line and qb. I will be pissed if he ends up in KC next year. The Bills are in a tough spot. They don’t have much cap space to work with. I’m sure Bean could get creative and kick the cap situation down the road again but at some point it catches up with you. Cook is a valuable piece to the offense. The second best player after Josh. It will be hard to replace his speed and home run ability. They could get by with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis but they wouldn’t be as good and would be in trouble if either gets injured. I think they will give him an extension of 3 years, 42 million with 30 million guaranteed. Cook would be foolish not to take it. Sure he wants 15 million a year but the market is just not paying that. Perhaps they could add incentives. He wants to be here and the Bills want him. He has a good situation where he doesn’t need to be an every down back and less rushing attempts will extend his playing career. Playing with Josh Allen and a good offensive line makes him a more productive player. He has to realize that and take it under consideration. I don’t think he will be as productive on a lesser team with a bad I line and qb. I will be pissed if he ends up in KC next year. 1 Quote
DCofNC Posted August 8 Posted August 8 On 8/6/2025 at 3:00 PM, Mister Defense said: I really hope you are wrong and that Beane is better than that. If I were Cook I would do what he is doing--one slip up on the field, one foot planted in the turf, can mean he is a much lesser player--or the end of his career. And the money he is destined to make in the future, deserves, all up in smoke. Gone forever. If you are right, and Beane is taking this personally, thinking in terms of himself vs. Cook, then the deal may not got done. If Beane is a bigger man than that, he gets this done and now, and stops making one of his best players, maybe the 2nd best player on the team, having to worry about his every move. And if the coaching staff thinks they may lose Cook this summer, they should be losing sleep. He is the Bills' best weapon, a player who can break off a long, game changing run or pass or touchdown every time he touches the ball. The Bills have been looking for a game changing weapon like Cook at the running back position since McBeane arrived. He is here. I don’t see Beane taking it personally, from the sounds of it, Cook just thinks he’s worth more than the Bills are willing to pay. So be it. The Bills have to do what’s right for them too. We all want a better team around Allen, that’s not happening when you pay a 2 down RB 15M a year. 1 Quote
Neo Posted August 8 Posted August 8 16 hours ago, Mister Defense said: Sound like you really dislike the 'dumb' guy.. A solid running back! Your post is a great example of an early post of mine in this thread, speaking of complimentary football. ………. [ For brevity ] ………. So hopefully Beane and the Bills also don't see Georgia guys as simply stupid Georgia 'dumb asses' and do the right thing, the intelligent thing, and pay Cook what he is worth. Beane and the Bills will gladly pay Cook what he is worth. They’ve been trying to do just that for months. 1 1 Quote
4merper4mer Posted August 8 Posted August 8 6 hours ago, Thurman#1 said: Yes, with hindsight we know that. It wasn't a sure thing either way at the time. Price was a starting WR as well. Just not one who lived up to his contract. Cook is a starting RB on probably 24 teams around the league. That doesn't mean he'll be a success everywhere. For instance, one possible outcome would be that he signs with a team that plays him on 75% of snaps and his body can't hold up and he breaks down. You can't tell what'll happen. IMO the Bills are handling him right by limiting his snaps. Could be he could stand up to 75%. But there's no way to know. Could be he has one and a half more years of good production and then regresses. Just no way to know for sure. You may or may not be correct about Cook. You are incorrect about Price. He never had a snowball’s chance of being a legit 1. It was obvious. Quote
Matt_In_NH Posted August 8 Posted August 8 If the Kyren Williams deal does not make this happen then I am of the belief the Bills don't want to make a deal. I am assuming Cook is willing to make a similar deal to what Williams has and that could be wrong. We can pay Cook and then he is the back for the next few years or they draft a guy that brings more to the table next year. I really get the impression Beane is good letting this play out. How does that end? Cook ends the hold in after the last preseason game because now his money is on the line, he is unhappy but really has no choice but to put out his best possible tape which is how he will get what he wants. He can go the way of Levean Bell and end up screwing himself...but I dont see that happening. 1 Quote
ddaryl Posted August 8 Posted August 8 Buffalo is 1/2 a milion over the cap at this junction. COOK has zero chance at a new contract this year. I do not see Beane restructuring deals just to make this happen. Cook will play the season and a decision will be made next year. Quote
JP51 Posted August 8 Posted August 8 41 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said: If the Kyren Williams deal does not make this happen then I am of the belief the Bills don't want to make a deal. I am assuming Cook is willing to make a similar deal to what Williams has and that could be wrong. We can pay Cook and then he is the back for the next few years or they draft a guy that brings more to the table next year. I really get the impression Beane is good letting this play out. How does that end? Cook ends the hold in after the last preseason game because now his money is on the line, he is unhappy but really has no choice but to put out his best possible tape which is how he will get what he wants. He can go the way of Levean Bell and end up screwing himself...but I dont see that happening. So I am not sure any of us are in the know.. but I get the feeling at this point after Williams Cook is being stubborn... I might be wrong... but he and Williams are are so close I cant see Beane saying 9mm... he is probably saying 10-12... Last I heard from Cook was 15-17mm or no deal... now again, this is just what I am hearing reported... so I honestly have no idea if this is true... but if we go by what is being reported (understanding that this may be questionable) this is Cook and his agent taking a stand IMO... and if he continues the stand then yes he could very well find him self either going the way of Bell... or sitting for a bit, not having a stellar year testing the open market next year and finding out that he is getting offers of 10 or less... Before the Williams deal I would have 100% agreed... Quote
DrDawkinstein Posted August 8 Posted August 8 26 minutes ago, ddaryl said: Buffalo is 1/2 a milion over the cap at this junction. COOK has zero chance at a new contract this year. I do not see Beane restructuring deals just to make this happen. Cook will play the season and a decision will be made next year. His new contract would be an extension and not kick in until next year. And if anything does change this year, it would likely lower his cap hit. Thats usually how this works. 1 1 Quote
Matt_In_NH Posted August 8 Posted August 8 24 minutes ago, JP51 said: So I am not sure any of us are in the know.. but I get the feeling at this point after Williams Cook is being stubborn... I might be wrong... but he and Williams are are so close I cant see Beane saying 9mm... he is probably saying 10-12... Last I heard from Cook was 15-17mm or no deal... now again, this is just what I am hearing reported... so I honestly have no idea if this is true... but if we go by what is being reported (understanding that this may be questionable) this is Cook and his agent taking a stand IMO... and if he continues the stand then yes he could very well find him self either going the way of Bell... or sitting for a bit, not having a stellar year testing the open market next year and finding out that he is getting offers of 10 or less... Before the Williams deal I would have 100% agreed... Agree no one but Cook, Beane and his agent know where they really are....so we are all speculating. I like Cook but I would rather have a bigger hammer type guy that I think can do for the Bills what Henry did for the Ravens and Barkley did for the Eagles. If the reports they are close are true then I think they will get a deal done, I am just questioning if Beane wants a deal even at 9mm...not because Cook is not worth that, its just strategic team building decisions more than the actual money. Quote
JP51 Posted August 8 Posted August 8 9 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said: Agree no one but Cook, Beane and his agent know where they really are....so we are all speculating. I like Cook but I would rather have a bigger hammer type guy that I think can do for the Bills what Henry did for the Ravens and Barkley did for the Eagles. If the reports they are close are true then I think they will get a deal done, I am just questioning if Beane wants a deal even at 9mm...not because Cook is not worth that, its just strategic team building decisions more than the actual money. down the speculation rabbit hole LOL... I think if he is offering 9mm or less then why? Thats just never gonna happen and it isnt even market.. so he probably isnt going to even do that... so maybe you are right and there is actually IS no offer and he is prepared to let him go... I guess time will tell. Quote
Since1981 Posted August 8 Posted August 8 He’s top 8-12 RB today. He doesn’t change the team like a top 5 (aka Henry/Barkley). Bills OL, QB17 won’t be replicated. Should be a huge consideration. He’s probably demanding top 5 and Beane won’t play. Should be Williams like $11M range Quote
fergie's ire Posted August 8 Posted August 8 20 hours ago, Merle said: Didn't Beane do some sort of "face saving" gesture for Jordan Poyer a few years ago when he was threatening to hold out under similar circumstances? I seem to remember them re-doing his contract by adding some more "attainable" incentives that could earn him an additional $500K to $1million or so that season? Perhaps something like that would be enough to get Cook back into the fold for this year, and then kick the can down the road for next season ... I've been thinking the same thing for a while...but wasn't sure this could be worked out on a rookie deal. However, I heard someone mention doing this, so I guess they can. I honestly think the best thing for Cook is to go to free agency and get as much money as anyone will pay him. Running back careers are usually short and he should try and maximize his value. If he does that, the best thing for the Bills would be to let him go. Ideally, he and Bosa have great years and get paid a ton of dough, which sets the Bills up in comp picks. The problem is this year. I think the Bills can do well with Davis and Johnson...but would be better with Cook and since they have a great chance to go to the Super Bowl this year, I'd love to have him on the team and happy. Quote
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