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Bills Sign James Cook to Lucrative Contract Extension

Stephen Douglas

James Cook signed an extension with the Buffalo Bills.
James Cook signed an extension with the Buffalo Bills. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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James Cook is back. The Bills running back signed a four-year contract extension worth up to $48 million. Cook's $30 million guaranteed is one of the highest figures in the league for running backs.

Cook had been a hold-in from training camp, but returned to practice on Tuesday which correctly indicated that the two sides were making progress on a new contract. Cook led the Bills with 1,009 rushing yards and scored 18 total touchdowns last season. In 2023 he had over 1,500 all-purpose yards and scored six touchdowns.

Cook had 85 yards rushing, 49 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns in the Bills' AFC championship game loss to the Chiefs.

Cook's $30 million guarunteed makes him the third highest-paid running back in the NFL. When Saquon Barkley signed his record extension earlier in the offseason, Cook was understandably excited about the market. Rookie Ashton Jeanty also has more guaranteed on his deal than Cook.

You can probably see how it all went down on next week's episode of Hard Knocks.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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