Bills' Cook on contract: 'I deserve what I want'

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills moving backmost James Cook has afloat participated successful the team's archetypal 2 days of grooming campy amidst his hopes for a declaration hold but emphasized Thursday that helium isn't going to springiness up connected seeking what helium desires.

"We person talks. ... I mean, I merit what I want, I request and it's going to yet happen," helium said.

When asked if he's assured that it volition hap successful Buffalo, Cook said, "I mean, nevertheless it happens, it's gonna get done. Wherever it happens at."

Cook, 25, is successful the last twelvemonth of his rookie woody and has publically expressed a tendency for a caller contract, including going unrecorded connected Instagram and pinning "15 mill [per] year." If helium received a declaration worthy $15 cardinal per year, it would marque him tied for third-highest paid backmost based connected mean yearly worth with Derrick Henry. Cook said Thursday that helium does not regret his societal media postings.

The Bills person had conversations with Cook's practice but person not been capable to adjacent successful connected an agreement.

General manager Brandon Beane reiterated his emotion for Cook connected Wednesday and said his extremity is ever to "draft, develop, re-sign our own" arsenic the squad did with 3 different members of Cook's draught people this offseason. However, helium said a woody has to acceptable into the wide squad program and headdress for this twelvemonth and years to come.

"Sometimes you can't get connected the aforesaid leafage oregon sometimes you're trying to acceptable it in," Beane said. "There's times guys person near present that we truly wanted. We conscionable couldn't marque it work. But I tin archer you, I'm hopeful, erstwhile we're sitting present astatine adjacent year's grooming campy that James Cook is retired determination practicing and inactive representing the red, achromatic and blue."

Cook missed the voluntary information of the offseason enactment and past afloat participated successful mandatory minicamp. The moving backmost said it was not a information to not study oregon not enactment successful the team's grooming camp.

"It's my job," Cook said. "I got to enactment truthful I won't get fined and conscionable travel retired present and conscionable amusement them that I'm acceptable to spell and gain what I got to spell get."

He added that helium didn't beryllium it to anybody but himself, his teammates and his household to beryllium retired connected the field, "by maine participating, showing my teammates that I emotion the crippled and I'm consenting to beryllium retired here," Cook said.

Cook is the pb Bills back, but portion of a radical that sees playing time. He was connected the tract for conscionable implicit 45% of violative plays past year, with Ty Johnson often coming successful connected precocious downs and Ray Davis besides getting opportunities. Cook said that helium wants to get much progressive successful the passing crippled and connected 3rd downs this season. His 2,638 vocation rushing yards are the astir among players from the 2022 draught class. Cook is coming disconnected the champion play of his career, including tying a franchise grounds for rushing touchdowns successful a play past twelvemonth (16).

"Quarterback, and the fans. I mean, it's a large enactment and I mean, they drafted me," Cook said connected wherefore helium wants to enactment successful Buffalo. "They drafted maine for a crushed I consciousness like, and I'm consenting to beryllium present and walk the remainder of my vocation here."