Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has taken to social media in the past months to give hints of his contract demands, but now the team’s star back could be dropping a more optimistic hint about his future.

Cook has been open about his desire for a new contract extension from the team, but Bills general manager Brandon Beane made it clear that the sides are too far apart. The running back is now headed into the final year of his rookie contract with no clarity on his long-term future.

Though Cook has not publicly addressed the contract situation, some fans believe his latest social media post may have been a hint about the future.

James Cook’s Post Prompts Questions from Fans

Cook took to Instagram on April 19 to share a picture of himself running through smoke at Highmark Stadium as he is introduced to start the game. Many saw the post as a cryptic hint about the future, though couldn’t quite figure out how to interpret what Cook meant by it.

“James Cook posted this today on instagram. Do we know what this means?” noted the Sleeper Bills account on X.

“On today’s edition of decrypting James Cook’s social media posts,” another fan posted on X.

Some interpreted it as a most positive sign after some dire signs from Cook earlier this offseason. The post came just a few months after Cook erased all images of the team from his Instagram page, which SI.com’s Kilty Cleary noted could be part of a bargaining tactic.

Cleary noted that Cook’s older brother, NFL running back Dalvin Cook, also had some contentious contract disputes.

“If there’s one person James Cook is likely getting advice from, it’s his older brother, Dalvin Cook, who has been through his fair share of contract disputes in the NFL,” Cleary wrote. “Dalvin has publicly advised his younger brother on handling negotiations, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s pushing James to play hardball with Buffalo.”

Bills Not Working on New Contract for James Cook

James Cook had already used social media to give a hint at his next contract demand. During an Instagram Live video posted earlier this offseason, he pinned a comment that said “15 mil,” hinting that he was seeking a contract with a $15 million annual value. That would make Cook one of the league’s highest-paid running backs, behind only San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey.

Though the Bills gave big contract extensions to two other members of Cook’s 2022 draft class — cornerback Christian Benford and wide receiver Khalil Shakir — Beane said there was no movement on a deal for Cook and likely wouldn’t be anytime soon.

“I love Jimbo, proud of his success, just like these other guys that we got extended,” Beane said at the Annual League Meeting, via NFL.com. “I don’t talk about negotiations, I would say his reps and him did put it out there that we did talk, so I’m not sharing anything new. It didn’t lead to anything as far as closing in on a deal, so we moved onto the guys that we were more on the same page with.

“At this point, we’re on to the draft, once we got (Christian) Benford done. I don’t see us doing any deals anytime soon.”