Buffalo Bills running back James Cookmade headlines a few weeks ago when he expressed his desire to get a contract extension that would pay him like one of the best backs in football.
Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Cook is coming off his best season, rushing for over 1,000 yards and 16 regular-season touchdowns, plus another three in the postseason.
So the body of work is there for all to see, yet amid all the flurry of Bills extensions this offseason, Cook wasn’t one of them. Khalil Shakir, Gregory Rousseau, Damar Hamlin, Terrel Bernard, and Ty Johnson all got extensions, yet Cook was left out.
This brings us to the why.
Could it be due to his contract demands and that general manager Brandon Beane must do some salary cap gymnastics to fit in what Cook would cost? Possibly.
But there might be another reason – the NFL Draft.
If there wasn’t an offseason as a running back to look for an extension, this is the one.
