James Cook is whipping up a recipe for contract negotiations.
The running back could be looking to receive $15 million per year in his next contract. Cook went on Instagram Live and pinned his own comment that said “15 mill year” on Wednesday.
Cook, 25, ranked No. 46 among running backs in average annual salary in 2024, behind ball carriers like Arizona’s DeeJay Dallas, Chicago’s Travis Homer and Miami’s Jeff Wilson.
A $15 million average make Cook the NFL’s second-highest paid running back. San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey, who signed a two-year, $38 million extension, is the only running back making at least $15 million per year.
It’d put Cook ahead of Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor ($14 million).
There could be too many Cooks in the kitchen. NFL running back Dalvin Cook has been lobbying on social media for a contract extension for his younger brother.
“Pay the man,” the four-time Pro Bowl selection posted on X after James Cook ran for a 65-yard touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in December.
He replied “20M/year” twice in the playoffs, when James Cook scored to give the Bills the lead in the AFC Wild-Card Round and AFC Championship Game.
James Cook is entering the final year of a four-year, $5,832,057 rookie contract with the Bills. He’ll earn the bulk of that in 2024. Cook was drafted in the second round, No. 63 overall, so he’s not eligible for a fifth-year option. Only first-round picks can receive a fifth-year option, which boosts their pay to better reflect the salaries of the position’s top players.
Cook’s value is estimated $10.2 million with a four-year, $40,838,096 contract by Spotrac but that would put him behind Arizona’s James Connor.
Buffalo spent the third-fewest of any NFL team on running backs in 2024.
Cook is coming off his second straight Pro Bowl season with more than 1,000 rushing yards and has grown into a lead back. He was tied for the NFL lead with 16 rushing touchdowns, which matched the Bills’ single-season franchise record. Cook had 134 total yards and two touchdowns in the AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs.
“What a year he had,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said at his end-of-season press conference. “We really drafted James to be a pass-catching running back. And he comes in and blossoms and just develops in more ways than one. One the field, off the field.
“It was like he was on missile lock (in the AFC championship). To be his build and to play as physical as he did, he was in another, I don’t know if he was in flow state or he was just in another stratosphere of his intent. It was incredible.”
The value of the running back is regaining speed but 23 wide receivers make more annually than the top-paid running back.
Top running back contracts
By average annual value
- Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco – $19,000,000
- Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis – $14,000,000
- Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia – $12,583,333
- Alvin Kamara, New Orleans – $12,250,000
- Josh Jacobs, Green Bay – $12,000,000
- Joe Mixon, Houston – $9,875,000
- James Conner, Arizona – $10,390,000
- David Montgomery, Detroit – $9,125,000
- Rhamondre Stevenson, New England – $9,000,000
- Chuba Hubbard, Carolina – $8,300,000
- D’Andre Swift, Chicago – $8,000,000
- Derrick Henry, Baltimore – $8,000,000
- Tony Pollard, Tennessee – $7,250,000
- Aaron Jones, Minnesota – $7,000,000
- Miles Sanders, Carolina – $6,350,000
- Devin Singletary, New York Giants, $5,500,000
- Bijan Robinson, Atlanta – $5,489,636
- Jahymr Gibbs, Detroit – $4,461,285
- Austin Ekeler, Washington – $4,215,000
- Raheem Mostert, Miami – $4,130,000
