Bills' James Cook Declines to Address Potential Contract Holdout Amid NFL Offseason

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook wasn't interested in discussing a possible contract holdout ahead of the 2025 season.

“I necessarily don’t want to talk about it right now, because it’s like, it’s something I want to hold in to myself...just let the business take care of the business,” Cook said, via PokerNews.com (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).

The 25-year-old hasn't participated in voluntary offseason workouts with the team and is seeking an extension worth $15 million per year, via ESPN.

Cook still has one year remaining on his rookie contract, as he'll earn $5.3 million for the 2025 season before hitting free agency in 2026.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane doesn't anticipate a holdout from the running back, though.

"I know we've had people in the building that he's been talking with, and I have no doubt when it's time to play football, he'll be ready to roll," Beane said during a Wednesday appearance with Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra).

"Sometimes, business gets in the way, we understand that," he added.

An average contract value of $15 million would make Cook the third-highest-paid running back in the NFL, via Spotrac. He'd only trail Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers.

Cook has steadily developed into Buffalo's top option in its rushing attack since he was selected with a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, earning Pro Bowl honors in each of the past two years.

In 16 starts last season, he ran for 1,009 yards and caught 32 passes for 258 yards. Cook found the end zone 16 times on the ground, which were tied for the most rushing touchdowns in the league.

The Bills will begin their OTAs on May 27, but Cook's potential presence is unknown.