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Bills quarterback Josh Allen #17 hands the ball off to James Cook at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2024.

The Buffalo Bills have a problem on their hands with starting running back James Cook.

Cook is entering the final year of his contract, and the Bills and Cook have shown no signs of wanting to finalize a deal.

There have been rumors that Cook is asking for $15 million a year, which would be a high price for Buffalo to pay.

The Bills are not in a position where they can afford to pay their running back $15 million a season, given the money they are already spending on quarterback Josh Allen.

NFL Writer Urges Bills To Sign James Cook

There is a chance Cook will be playing his last season in Buffalo this year, but Kristopher Knox from Bleacher Report thinks the Bills should be doing everything they can to extend Cook before the end of the offseason.

“The Buffalo Bills were only a few plays away from reaching the Super Bowl in January, so much of the offseason has been about maintaining continuity. Ascending running back James Cook should be considered a long-term piece of the puzzle,” Knox wrote. “Cook is extension-eligible and has been vocal about his desire for a new deal, although that didn’t keep him away from mandatory minicamp. While the Bills barely have any cap space remaining, general manager Brandon Beane should do what he can to extend Cook to ensure the backfield leader has no distractions in 2025.”

General manager Brandon Beane has to determine what is best for the team in the future, and if that means paying Cook, then he must do so. But if Beane thinks giving Cook the money he wants will hurt the salary cap in the future, then there is no way the Bills should pay him.

Cook Could Have A Problem If He Doesn’t Get Paid

The one problem for Cook is that running backs no longer typically receive top-dollar compensation, as they tend to start slowing down earlier than most positions.

Cook hopes to secure a deal with the Bills this offseason, as a player never wants to play out the last year of his contract without a new one in place, in case an injury occurs.

The worst thing for Cook is not to try to work out a new contract with Buffalo, and then he suffers a heartbreaking injury that forces him to take a considerable pay cut next season.

There is no doubt that Cook is a valuable player to the Bills, but Buffalo has had success without him because, at the end of the day, it’s all about what Josh Allen can do.

As long as Allen is playing for the Bills, the team will always have a chance to compete, which is probably why the Bills aren’t ready to pay Cook, knowing they can use that money to acquire better players on defense.

Danny Fisher Is a football journalist covering the Buffalo Bills for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL for Gridiron Heroics, focusing on the AFC and Penn State football for Nittany Central. More about Danny Fisher