James Cook extension caps off Bills' $637 million spending spree on homegrown players

The Buffalo Bills have done a fantastic job taking care of their key homegrown players during the 2025 offseason and running back James Cook is the latest to cash in.

On Wednesday morning, Cook's agent revealed that the running back has agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the Bills that includes $30 million guaranteed.

That's a significant deal for Cook, who now ranks tied for sixth in terms of annual average among running backs and tied for first when it comes to total value, according to Over the Cap.

With Cook's contract extension now done, the Bills have handed out a staggering $637 million in contract extensions this offseason to players they drafted.

Here's the breakdown (reminder, some of these deals are "worth up to" the listed amount):

QB Josh Allen: 6 years, $330 million

RB James Cook: 4 years, $48 million

WR Khalil Shakir: 4 years, $53 million

CB Christian Benford: 4 years, $76 million

DE Gregory Rousseau: 4 years, $80 million

LB Terrel Bernard: 4 years, $50 million

Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir cuts upfield for yards after the catch during position drills during day five of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Monday, July 28, 2025 in Pittsford, NY. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now, it's highly unlikely the Bills will pay out every dime of these six contracts, but that doesn't change the fact that the Bills have done more than enough to take care of their core players, and in some instances with deals at or near the top of the market.

Of those six players who were extended this offseason, four of them (Cook, Bernard, Shakir and Benford) were drafted in 2022. Only Allen (2018) and Rousseau (2021) were taken in different years.

General manager Brandon Beane may have missed on some 2022 draft selections, but with four out of the eight picks having earned second contracts after proving valuable during their rookie deals, we can confidently say that draft was a success for him.

With all of these deals done, the Bills also give themselves more flexibility over the next few years, when the team doesn't have a positive salary cap situation.

Before the agreement with Cook, Buffalo was projected to be over the cap by $4.5 million in 2026 and is estimated to hold just $42.4 million in cap space in 2027.

We'd definitely expect to see some restructures in the next few years as the Bills try to navigate that tight situation.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen throws a short pass to running back James Cook during a drill at Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on July 31, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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