James Cook Says 'I Deserve What I Want' in Bills Contract Talks, 'Never Gonna Give Up'

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook says his attendance at training camp this week doesn't mean he's given up on his search for an extension ahead of his fourth NFL season.

"It's my job. I've got to participate so I won't get fined, and just come out here and show them that I'm ready to go, and earn what I gotta go get," Cook said Thursday.

Cook continued, "I'm never gonna give up. I deserve what I want, what I need. It'll eventually happen."

When asked if he was confident the deal would get done in Buffalo, Cook answered, "It is going to get done, wherever it happens at."

The 25-year-old is set to make about $5.7 million in the final season of his rookie contract, per Spotrac. Cook indicated on social media in February that he is seeking at least $15 million per year on his next contract.

Cook gave a similar response when asked why he decided to attend the Bills' mandatory minicamp in June after skipping parts of the team's voluntary offseason program earlier this spring.

"I like my money. Definitely do. So, that's why I'm here," Cook said ahead of the June minicamp, per ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday that Cook was expected to attend training camp, but that "it remains to be seen how involved he’ll be on the field."

Cook said Thursday that he "didn't really think about" whether or not he would participate in practice.

"I knew I was going to come out here and work. I don't owe it to nobody but my teammates, myself and my family. By me participating, showing my teammates that I love the game and I'm willing to be out there," Cook said.

Cook is looking to cash in after tying the Baltimore Ravens' Derrick Henry and Detroit Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs for the NFL lead with 16 rushing touchdowns in just 16 games last season.

The Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley and San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffrey are the only running backs currently set to earn an average annual salary of more than $15 million in 2025.

Should Cook secure a deal worth that amount, he would enter the 2025 campaign tied with Henry as the third-highest-paid running back in the league.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane indicated in March that the team 2025 NFL draft that the franchise was willing to potentially let Cook play at least part of the season on an expiring contract.

"Just because we don't get something done this year doesn't mean we can't get something done before he's a free agent," Beane said, per ESPN.

With Gibbs set to enter the last guaranteed year of his rookie contract in 2026, the running back market could undergo another shift next offseason.

The longer the Bills go without reaching compromise on an extension with Cook, the more the team risks the running back's price climbing as he approaches potential unrestricted free agency next winter.