Cook signed👀 - 4 / 48 / 30 mil guaranteed

[PromoTheRobot]

10 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

The problem is you need to hit on those guys. The HOPE is that your Picks will be great. But to rely on them to take you over the hump is a big ask. 

 

Seldom do we take a guy in the first few Rounds that we don't feel good about as prospects, just as we feel good about Hairston (who's already hurt and who will miss Rookie Training Camp and Pre-Season, an integral part of Rookie development), T.J. Sanders, and Landon Jackson (who looked not ready for Primetime in Pre-Season Week 1).

 

But we still have had misses, slow development, and injuries there over the past few years that have kept us from getting us to the Promised Land.

 

You can disparagingly drop "names" to discount the importance of known commodities. But they're names for a reason. We know they're difference makers. With the current format that Beane applies to, it's maintain the core that hasn't gotten us there and relying on unsung FA's and lottery ticket Draft Picks.

 

And again, I'm not advocating "blow it all up". But I do believe he goes way too hard on the "Draft, Develop, Retain" mantra. There's some players that we've delegated a fair amount of cap space to that could have been moved on from.

 

Why are you panicking when we just drafted these guys?

[Fan in Chicago]

6 minutes ago, Delete_Delete_Delete said:

So you’re only allowed to look at the successes and not the misses, got it…

 

I expect Beane’s scouting department to do a better job of not blowing high end draft capital on a regular basis. Or we can keep pretending that this team contends for anything whatsoever as it’s currently built without the generational unicorn that is Josh Allen under center… it’s a decently built team with a decent head coach and arguably the greatest QB ever to take the field. If Beane and McDermott landed Baker or Darnold instead of backing into Josh are they even in Buffalo right now?

 

Point is I’m not going to blow smoke like Brandon Beane can’t frickin miss when really the only bullseye has been Josh Allen, and a kudos on building up the OL… But am I wrong expect him to hit some drafts out of the park every now and again? Rather than resting his laurels on the fact that he’s the guy who drafted Josh Allen. I’m supposed to sit here and make a big deal bc the guy extended a running back? He has Josh Allen and zero Super Bowl appearances at this juncture in his tenure with the Buffalo Bills, by my measuring stick that’s underperforming when we all know who and what we have in 17.

There are plenty of other threads to bash McDermott and Beane's actions. This is a thread about Cook re-signing with the Bills and posters to express their opinion about the deal. Making a passing comment about a related subject (such as weapons on offense besides Cook) is fine but you are going on and on about such topics. It is called hijacking a thread. Also, your posting language needs to be toned down. This board has been here a long time due to decorum, very reasonable rules and highly knowledgeable posters. 

Consider this a friendly suggestion to tone it down before the mods start saying the above in a far less polite way. 

Edited Thursday at 01:50 AM by Fan in Chicago

[BillsFanForever19]

4 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Why are you panicking when we just drafted these guys?

 

I'm not panicking. I don't expect Rookies to be finished products in Year 1. Things happen with injuries and slow development. But that's the point. 

 

With our cap situation and so much delegated to retaining so many guys (who should or should not be retained, depending on the situation) in the window we're in, we rely on these guys in Year 1 to be big time difference makers to take us over the top. Bc we can't afford to get known commodities. 

 

Guys like Coleman, Bishop, and Carter are crucified for not being ready quick enough bc we're *relying* on them. When a little more fiscal spending on the number of people we retain could get us players who we KNOW will be an impact instead of not being able to afford to sign or trade for them - as we have for the past couple years.

 

Cook was one of the 3 I would have re-signed, but doing all 5 to me was too much.

Edited Thursday at 06:52 AM by BillsFanForever19

[HappyDays]

3 hours ago, ngbills said:

Biggest issue is less about Cook more about how he is used. 

 

Barkley is on the field 80% of snaps

Williams 90% 

CMC 80-90% (when healthy)

Kamara 70%

Taylor 60-70%

Jacobs 60-70%

Henry is 60%

 

Cook is under 50% and only had one game above 60% all season. In 2 of the 3 playoff games he was at 45%. 

 

 

 

I think this narrative is just so overblown. Despite being on the field 45% of the snaps he still nearly doubled Ray Davis' rush attempts and quintupled Ty Johnson's. He had almost as many receptions as Davis and Johnson combined. People act like he was just a cog in a rotation. When in fact he was by far our most consistently explosive skill player and made a big difference when he was on the field. Personally I'm glad they're limiting his snaps. Keep his mileage low so he can continue making game changing plays for the next four seasons.

[stuvian]

He's worth it 

[DapperCam]

Feels slightly rich for a RB that only plays 50% of the snaps, but maybe they will work on his pass blocking.

[Saint Doug]

 Welp, I guess he never got $15M per season. Shocker 
 

[Thurman#1]

8 hours ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

The way everyone is talking about Cook being such a great skill player for us, makes you wonder where the hell the rest of the playmakers are.  Noone thinks we have any playmakers on offense besides Josh and James.  And to be honest maybe Ty Johnson is #3 as a playmaker.  I think Shakir is pretty dam good as well.  

 

But something is wrong with our WR's and TE's if none are considered big time playmakers.  Look at Coleman.  Seriously, is he any better or as good as Kristian Wilkerson or Tyrell Shavers?  We really need some WR's and TE's to step up and make a difference to get this team to the next level.  Lets hope it happens.

 

 

Yes, Coleman is better than Kristian Wilkerson and Tyrell Shavers.

 

And yes, when healthy Kincaid has a chance to be a playmaker. Still has a lot to prove, of course. But to put it in perspective, Kincaid was 10th in receiving yards and 7th in receptions among TEs in 2023. As a rookie. That's better than Cook ranks in running yards or yards from scrimmage among RBs as a third-year man.

 

Kincaid is a weapon when healthy and when on the same page as Josh. Something weird happened to their chemistry last year. Was it that he wasn't quite as fast or that he couldn't cut as sharply so Josh missed him because of that? I don't think there's a clear answer, but that could easily be a part of the problem. If they get back in sync, he's likely to be someone both Josh and opposing teams look for on big downs.

 

And is it possible to win Super Bowls without a lot of playmakers? Ask the 2023 Chiefs. Yeah, it is. You pretty much have to have a terrific QB to do it.

 

But we do.

 

 

48 minutes ago, Saint Doug said:

 Welp, I guess he never got $15M per season. Shocker 
 

 

 

Heh heh.

[Thrivefourfive]

We all see that “playing out his deal” was never going to happen. Cook’s team played this so well. Doesn’t seem like any bad blood drama at all. The Bills nailed it too.. We cannot spare this man. He runs!

 

Keon Coleman has to be looking at this and realizing that if he carves out his role that’s essential to team success, he’ll get his too. These two dudes know they aren’t going be the greatest of all time at their positions. So Winning is their path to being paid for their services. 

[Thurman#1]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

 

I think this narrative is just so overblown. Despite being on the field 45% of the snaps he still nearly doubled Ray Davis' rush attempts and quintupled Ty Johnson's. He had almost as many receptions as Davis and Johnson combined. People act like he was just a cog in a rotation. When in fact he was by far our most consistently explosive skill player and made a big difference when he was on the field. Personally I'm glad they're limiting his snaps. Keep his mileage low so he can continue making game changing plays for the next four seasons.

 

 

I don't know. I think your narrative here is just as overblown.

 

Nobody argues with the fact that he's more explosive than Davis and Johnson.

 

And yeah, people act like he was just a cog in a rotation. That's what he was. The most important cog, but just a cog. 

 

Davis got 50% of Cook's yards from scrimmage on 54% of Cook's snaps. And how many more hits on Josh did Ray and Ty prevent than did Cook?

 

I'm also glad they're limiting his snaps. I agree with you there 100%, that it really raises the chances that his productivity lasts longer and that he avoids injury. We haven't so far seen that he's improved his pass blocking in camp this year, that I've heard anyway. So we use him for situations, the way they did last year, 1st and 2nd downs, and we bench him for others, 3rd downs and short-yardage must-have smash-mouth situations.

 

But we will be more productive with him on the field in those Cook situations. We're a better team with him. The question is (always, for every player) whether the extra money we spend is worth the value of the next-best alternative on how to spend that money, the opportunity cost. My guess is that at $12M AAV the answer is yes, and that at $15M the answer would have been no.

 

But I'd love it if he out-produces my expectations.

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

6 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

Is that Cook’s fault? Or is it the way the coaching staff manages their roster? They do the exact same thing with the D line, and I recall so many plays when Diggs was off the field. It’s just what the Bills do. 

 

I think it could be a combo of the 2, I fdon't think the Bills staff think he can handle the workload otherwise why would they take him out? I mean he came out in a crucial time in that playoff game with the Chiefs, I'm not sure if he was injured or not but if not that was pretty telling to me. Also he's not a good blocker at all which would explain alot, knowing the Chiefs were probably bringing the heat probably played a big factor in the decision.

[White Linen]

3 hours ago, DapperCam said:

Feels slightly rich for a RB that only plays 50% of the snaps, but maybe they will work on his pass blocking.

 

I know, and the measly 18 touchdowns.  Just give the ball to someone else.

 

Plus 4.9 yards per carry is trash.

[Delete_Delete_Delete]

3 hours ago, Fan in Chicago said:

There are plenty of other threads to bash McDermott and Beane's actions. This is a thread about Cook re-signing with the Bills and posters to express their opinion about the deal. Making a passing comment about a related subject (such as weapons on offense besides Cook) is fine but you are going on and on about such topics. It is called hijacking a thread. Also, your posting language needs to be toned down. This board has been here a long time due to decorum, very reasonable rules and highly knowledgeable posters. 

Consider this a friendly suggestion to tone it down before the mods start saying the above in a far less polite way. 

Tone it down… Hijacking a thread?… Surely you can’t be serious… This place is stiffer than a catholic priest at a Chuck E. Cheese’s.  
 

[Thurman#1]

Interesting point. Don't know if this has been noticed yet, but if it has I haven't seen it.

 

Both Spotrac and OvertheCap have the contract total at $46M, not $48M

 

Also, OvertheCap has the FULLY GUARANTEED money at $15.28M. (Ah, Spotrac agrees.) I'm sure the rest is guaranteed against injury, but this looks like the contract numbers originally released had been plumped up a bit, probably by the agents.

 

Surprise, surprise!!

 

This legitimately is a risk they're taking here. IMO if Cook stays healthy it'll look like a good risk. If he gets injured, particularly in the next three years, it will be a contract that bites the Bills.

 

Cook is young, he'll turn 26 late in September, so this contract goes through his age 30 season. They're likely to keep limiting his snaps, or so I believe anyway. There's a decent chance he stays healthy through his age 26, 27 and 28 seasons. Only a part of that next season four years from now, will be guaranteed, and we don't yet know how much. But he could probably be cut (if it's for performance or financial reasons, not for injury) without any cap problems, before the the third year of the extension, 2028, if he starts regressing or has problems with injuries cropping up.

 

Edited Thursday at 06:25 AM by Thurman#1

[LABILLBACKER]

So happy for James and the morale of the team as a whole. Cook was T1 in TD's and T2 in all purpose TD's. The heart he showed on that goal-line diving td against KC showed his desire to do whatever it takes to help this team succeed.  We got em locked for 4 more years. Keep working on his blocking and gradually increase his snap count.  We'll need him on the field in late game leverage moments. 

[Herc11]

5 hours ago, Saint Doug said:

 Welp, I guess he never got $15M per season. Shocker 
 

 

Do people not realize that in negotiations, you don't start by throwing out the number you are expecting to get? It would be pretty dumb to start negotiations saying you'd take $12M.

 

He starts high, the team starts low and you meet somewhere in the middle. That's how negotiating works.

Edited Thursday at 07:45 AM by Herc11

[Chandler#81]

4 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

I don't know. I think your narrative here is just as overblown.

 

Nobody argues with the fact that he's more explosive than Davis and Johnson.

 

And yeah, people act like he was just a cog in a rotation. That's what he was. The most important cog, but just a cog. 

 

Davis got 50% of Cook's yards from scrimmage on 54% of Cook's snaps. And how many more hits on Josh did Ray and Ty prevent than did Cook?

 

I'm also glad they're limiting his snaps. I agree with you there 100%, that it really raises the chances that his productivity lasts longer and that he avoids injury. We haven't so far seen that he's improved his pass blocking in camp this year, that I've heard anyway. So we use him for situations, the way they did last year, 1st and 2nd downs, and we bench him for others, 3rd downs and short-yardage must-have smash-mouth situations.

 

But we will be more productive with him on the field in those Cook situations. We're a better team with him. The question is (always, for every player) whether the extra money we spend is worth the value of the next-best alternative on how to spend that money, the opportunity cost. My guess is that at $12M AAV the answer is yes, and that at $15M the answer would have been no.

 

But I'd love it if he out-produces my expectations.

I recall our last real game where Cook was called on to score or die on 4th down from the 2 yard line. I also recall he was going to be stopped short of the goal line before pulling off an unnatural flight while being virtually broken in half to reach the endzone. Cook is capable of extraordinary feats. $15 M? Pay the Man!

[PrimeTime101]

7 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

I'll tell you what hasn't changed, a select few fans can't even conceive of a player improving after year one. As if it's never happened in the history of the NFL. I saw some mind boggling takes on here that Elijah Moore, a former draft bust playing for his 3rd team in 5 years, was definitively a better WR than Coleman...

 

Not that I'm surprised. Some people just can't let their draft takes go. There were fans declaring Josh Allen a bust after year one and some still saying it after year two. Coleman has a lot to prove but anyone writing him off after last year is just being ridiculous, especially after the training camp he just had.

 

okok lol

Im on the bandwagon on Coleman improving. he looks improved.

 

On the bold.. Did you see the QB's he was playing for? yea.. Im not saying Moore will be awesome but you have to take that into consideration.. 

 

The JA take I agree.. it was crazy. He had no OLINE and No WEAPONS.... nuts..

[GunnerBill]

3 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

Also, OvertheCap has the FULLY GUARANTEED money at $15.28M. (Ah, Spotrac agrees.) I'm sure the rest is guaranteed against injury, but this looks like the contract numbers originally released had been plumped up a bit, probably by the agents.

 

 

I think more likely the case the $15.28m is the money guaranteed at signing. I suspect the rest of the guarantees are in a team option bonus which triggers next spring and the construct of the contract makes an absolute certainty will be picked up. It's something Beane has used before as a tool when you want to amortise a good chunk of the money but your cap situation for the current year is tight so you can't stick a lot of amortised money on this year. 

 

That isn't to say the eventual number can't come in a shade under the reported numbers... both Shakir and Bernard did. But I suspect that is the major reason for the discrepancy on guarantees. 

8 hours ago, HappyDays said:

 

I'll tell you what hasn't changed, a select few fans can't even conceive of a player improving after year one. As if it's never happened in the history of the NFL. I saw some mind boggling takes on here that Elijah Moore, a former draft bust playing for his 3rd team in 5 years, was definitively a better WR than Coleman...

 

Not that I'm surprised. Some people just can't let their draft takes go. There were fans declaring Josh Allen a bust after year one and some still saying it after year two. Coleman has a lot to prove but anyone writing him off after last year is just being ridiculous, especially after the training camp he just had.

 

 

The Elijah Moore takes in the spring were wild. He has all but disappeared since we got to camp. I don't know that he is a lock for the roster at this point. 

[GunnerBill]

10 hours ago, Delete_Delete_Delete said:

 

That trade for Diggs was a good thing in hindsight? You’d rather have a few good years of Diggs at top dollar than the pick that was ultimately Justin Jefferson for the entirety of his prime? Shouldn’t we be able to trust that if a Beane is the wizard everybody you say he is, he would’ve surely drafted Jefferson in that spot, right?

 

 

Yes. I still say it was. The number 1 priority for the Bills going into 2020 was they needed to come out of it knowing for certain whether Josh Allen was the guy. He had a mixed rookie year, took some steps in 2019 but with plenty of inconsistency still present and in 2020 they needed no excuses can he be the guy for this team. Much easier to make that assessment with a veteran, elite, wide receiver than with a rookie - however good that rookie ultimately is. 

 

If they were faced with a similar decision today and they traded for the vet I'd hammer them. They know who Josh is, take a swing on the young talent. But in 2020 the priority was finding out for sure on Josh Allen and trading for Stefon Diggs allowed them to do that more than drafting any receiver in that class would have.

 

Also - though this supports your point re. them needing to better evaluate offensive talent - they weren't picking Jefferson there anyway. I have it on pretty good authority that at the point they made the trade the calculation they were talking through was vet Diggs vs rookie Tee Higgins. The draft was still six weeks away, so things could have changed.... but as at the point they made the trade I think the guy they were otherwise leaning towards picking at that spot was Tee.