James Cook is entering the final year of his rookie deal and has no plans on playing until he gets a long term extension. On the flip side, the Buffalo Bills have made it clear that an extension for Cook is not in their current plans.
This is had to a lot of anger and frustration for Cook, who has reportedly put his house up for sale and caused a lot of speculation that Cook’s days in Buffalo could be numbered.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter added some more context to the situation during his podcast last week, saying Cook has “disconnected” himself from the Bills and the city of Buffalo, saying he doesn’t think Cook will be seen in Buffalo anytime soon.
“You’ve got a guy who’s unhappy with his contractual situation,” Schefter said during his podcast. “(He) has basically disconnected himself from the organization and the city, put his house up for sale…I don’t think we’ll be seeing him in Buffalo anytime soon. Again, the start of training camp will be the next critical moment. If they don’t have a deal done there or by then, does James Cook show up for training camp? Does he risk the penalties that come along in the collective bargaining agreement if he doesn’t show up?”
That’s an ominous statement from Schefter, but he also said the important thing to watch is what happens when training camp begins.
If Cook shows up, then perhaps he will play out the year and look for a mega-deal elsewhere in 2026. If he doesn’t show, then we should start to worry.
