Bills Provide News Updates on Star Running Back, Newly Signed Linebacker

Sean McDermott addressed the state of the union in Upstate New York.

Sean McDermott reacts after a play against the Chiefs. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This is a critical season for the Buffalo Bills—a team that can plausibly claim the NFL's greatest-ever run of success without a Super Bowl trip.

Since the 2020 season, the Bills have won 61 regular-season games—an average of about 12 per year. They've made a pair of AFC championships. And they still haven't won a conference title since 1993.

As Buffalo eyes a breakthrough in 2025, coach Sean McDermott provided reporters with a pair of crucial housekeeping notes Tuesday morning.

First, he indicated via Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network that running back James Cook is at the team's mandatory minicamp despite his desire for a new deal. Then, McDermott said that linebacker Shaq Thompson will be limited in minicamp after signing with the Bills Tuesday.

Bills RB James Cook will practice today at mandatory minicamp despite wanting new deal, per HC Sean McDermott: “Really appreciate him being here… business is business. 🏈 is 🏈.”

McDermott said LB Shaq Thompson will be limited at best in minicamp noting he’s coming off surgery.

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) June 10, 2025

Cook, 25, has led Buffalo in rushing each of the past two seasons. Both of those seasons have ended in the Pro Bowl, and last year his 16 rushing touchdowns made him the first Bill to lead the league in that category since O.J. Simpson in 1975.

Thompson, 31, has spent his entire 10-year career with the Carolina Panthers. Though injuries have limited him to just six games in the last two seasons, he ranks fourth in Panthers history in solo tackles.

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