Should the Buffalo Bills give James Cook a contract worth $15M per season?

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Well, here we go again.

As the Buffalo Bills begin to plan their 2025 offseason, we’re once again talking about a player making waves on social media.

On Tuesday night, Bills Pro Bowl running back James Cook posted on Instagram he should get a contract worth $15 million per season. Cook doubled down on Wednesday, reposting a comment on X that said: “If you think James Cook ain’t worth 15 you must’ve been dropped head first through the table. Pay him.”

As pointed out by plenty of accounts on social media, Cook also unfollowed the Bills Instagram account and deleted several posts of him from this past season.

Cook, who tied a franchise record for rushing touchdowns in 2024 with 16. For perspective, in his first two seasons with the Bills, Cook had four rushing touchdowns combined.

The 25-year-old running back rushed for 1,009 yards last season and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. He added 32 catches for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the passing game.

But it's clear Cook is valued within the organization. At the Bills season-ending press conference with head coach Sean McDermott, he gave his young running back some serious praise.

"What a year he had," McDermott said after the season. "We really drafted James to be a pass-catching running back, and he comes in and blossoms and develops in more ways than one. Both on the field and off the field."

So, is Cook worth the $15 million he’s publicly asking for? Of course, his older brother Davlin believes so. The four-time Pro Bowler spoke to 7 Sports in January about his brother's strides this past season and future with the Bills.

"He's still fresh, and I think keeping him and Josh Allen together, I think that's the future of the offense," Dalvin Cook said. "You know, they drafted Keon, you got the puzzle put together right there. I just think he's still scratching the surface, he's still a young back, and there's a lot out there for him. And if you look at his numbers, they are only on the rise, they are steadily going up. So for me, when you look at, you've got a young player and a young talent like that, you've got no choice but to lock him up for the next few years and give him that comfort of, you're here, you're a Bill, and let's go keep winning. So I think you've got to lock a player like that up, you can't let him leave the building."

Let’s look at the numbers and how his new deal would compare to others in the NFL.

According to Spotrac, only one running back is set to make more than $15 million next season with Christian McCaffrey on the books for $16.2 million in 2025. Only two other running backs [Saquon Barkley ($13.5M) and Jonathan Taylor ($13M) are set to make more than $10 million in 2025.

So what should the Bills do? 

We share our thoughts, and look at the Bills' options moving forward in the video attached at the top of this story!