If James Cook wants to assess his value, he should ensure the open market is ready to accommodate that agreement, as the Buffalo Bills have more pressing concerns.
Over the past week, the Bills have reached agreements on extensions with linebacker Terrel Bernard, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, and currently edge rusher Greg Rousseau.
Rousseau’s four-year contract extension valued at over $80 million ensures he is well-compensated alongside his teammates. Additionally, it does not put him among the highest-paid edge defenders in football—instead, his new contract positions him at approximately the league average for elite players.
“My heart has been in this place since 2021, and I didn’t truly want to be anywhere else,” Rousseau shared. “We’ve got many excellent players on our squad, within our defense, specifically on our defensive line; we’re very close-knit.” Just thrilled to reunite with guys like Ed (Oliver), DQ (DaQuan Jones), A.J. (Epenesa). I mean, it’s a gift to be in the presence of guys like that. “Things aren’t the same everywhere, so I was simply eager to return.”
The same cannot be stated for Cook at this time.
Particularly since he’s aiming to earn over $15 million annually – a deal that would place him behind only Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley among running backs at this point.
Cook has not yet demonstrated that he is at that level.
That is the reason the organization has opted to re-sign many other key players on the team to extensions while anticipating a decrease in Cook’s market value. Only time will reveal if that approach is effective.
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