The Buffalo Bills reached the AFC Championship Game in 2024, and James Cook was a huge part of that team’s success.
However, despite the team’s success, Cook’s future in Buffalo could be in doubt, as he is entering the last year of his rookie contract. Cook took to Instagram to share what he believes he is worth.
Cook Shares his Asking Price for his Next Contract on Instagram
Cook is projected to make $5,620,374 in the final year of his rookie contract with the Bills. On ‘Instagram Live’, Cook pinned a comment saying, “15 mill year,” signaling his asking price for his next contract.
James Cook on IG live just pinned his own comment saying “15 mill year” 👀 pic.twitter.com/SIOdBRxmRf
— Hanover (@joeyhanover) February 12, 2025
While running back is a position that has typically not resulted in large contracts, things have shifted slightly in recent years, and Cook could be the next running back to cash in on a new contract. Christian McCaffrey has the highest AAV of any running back at $19 million, and Jonathan Taylor is the second highest-paid running back with a salary of $14 million per year.
Since taking over as Buffalo’s lead back in 2023, Cook has established himself as one of the top running backs in the league. The former second-round pick out of Georgia finished the 2024 season with 207 carries for 1009 yards and a career-high 16 touchdowns on the ground, as well as 32 receptions for 258 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Buffalo lost Stefon Diggs in the offseason, but that didn’t slow down their offense in 2024. According to PFSN’s Offense+ metric, the Bills finished with the No. 4 offense in the NFL with a grade of 88.0 (B+). This elite performance on the offensive side of the ball was thanks to a balanced attack that gave opposing defenses trouble, as Josh Allen won the MVP, and Cook dominated on the ground.
Entering 2024, one of the biggest concerns for Cook was his ability to carry the ball in the red zone, as he had just four touchdowns through two seasons. However, Cook put that to rest by tying Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead in rushing touchdowns in 2024.
While his yardage numbers were down in both the rushing and receiving game this year, a large part of that can be attributed to Buffalo utilizing multiple backs, with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis also involved.
One person advocating heavily for a new contract for Cook is his brother, Dalvin Cook. The four-time Pro Bowler took to X after Cook’s Pro Bowl Games selection, saying, “that payday can’t come soon enough.”
That pay day can’t come soon enough 💯💯 https://t.co/SbqvxzhUOX
— Dalvin “4️⃣” Cook (@dalvincook) January 27, 2025
Cook was Josh Allen’s top offensive weapon in 2024 and figures to be an integral piece of Buffalo’s offense again in 2025. Whether Cook and the Bills can agree on a long-term contract remains to be seen, but if he performs like he has the past two seasons in 2025, he will presumably receive a hefty contract in free agency.