The stage has been set. The framework is in place.
For the first time this summer, the Buffalo Bills have a real direct comparison to point to in contract negotiations with running back James Cook.
Cook is entering the final year of his deal with Buffalo, and he stated earlier in the offseason that he’d like a deal that pays him $15 million per year.
In the current state of the running back market, that simply isn’t going to happen.
But on Tuesday, another star RB in similar shoes to Cook signed a new contract for himself. That’s Kyren Williams of the Rams.
Williams’ deal came in at $33 million over three years, an $11 million per year value, with $23 million guaranteed over the life of the contract.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested this was an important development in Cook’s future dealings:
“Some around the league believed this was the deal, between Kyren Williams and the Rams, that had to get done before James Cook and the Bills escalated their contract talks.”
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Well, now the Williams deal is done.
It’s not clear whether Cook’s negotiating team would place him ahead of Williams or right in line with him.
Williams has been a bigger workhorse the past few years, but Buffalo has had the luxury of not overworking Cook. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, and if anything, Cook should be healthier going forward.
Cook practiced for the first week of Bills training camp but is now conducting a hold-in, still at camp but not taking the field to work any longer. He clearly wants some kind of resolution to these negotiations.
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Whether or not the Bills will move whatever their offer is up a little higher remains to be seen. But for the sake of chasing a Super Bowl, they might have to.
And at least now, they can ground whatever offer they make within the Williams deal. It provides an idea of what this could look like. And it’s up to the Bills and Cook to do the rest.
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