Bills-Bears trade proposal sends James Cook to Chicago, gives Buffalo a replacement

An analyst has proposed a trade between the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills that would jettison James Cook and bring Buffalo back a replacement.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (28) fends off tackler Chicago Bears defensive back DeAndre Houston-Carson (36) in the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

It appeared running back James Cook and the Buffalo Bills were headed to the regular season without any major hiccups despite Cook's contract dispute with the team.

That all changed on Sunday when Cook sat out practice and began his hold-in, which is ongoing as of Wednesday. Cook said his absence from practice was a result of "business."

With Cook no longer practicing, speculation that he could be traded has heated up once again.

Yardbarker's Jackson Weber suggested the Chicago Bears as a possible landing spot if Buffalo ends up trading its running back. Weber believes the Bears could include running back D'Andre Swift in a deal with the Bills.

"Cook, who rushed for 1,009 yards last season (4.9 per carry), is an efficient runner who could balance this offense. Chicago has the draft capital and salary-cap space (roughly $13M, per Over The Cap) to get a deal done, particularly if it were to send Swift back the other way," Weber wrote.

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Swift finished with 959 rushing yards in 17 games last season, but the Bears finished with the eighth-lowest rushing-yardage output in the NFL. Despite that stat, Chicago did not make any kind of significant addition at the position.

Jan 5, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (4) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Like Cook, Swift is an explosive playmaker who can rip off big chunks when the ball is in his hands.

Swift is thought to be a better pass-catcher than Cook, but Cook is the better runner and Pro Football Focus grades say the Bills rusher is a better pass-blocker, also.

If the Bills absolutely had to trade Cook, they could do a lot worse than replacing him with Swift, who would be a fine complement in a three-man backfield with Ray Davis and Taron Johnson.

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The Bills should also be able to score a Day 3 pick in such a deal, or at least a late-round pick swap that favors Buffalo. Of course, if Swift isn't included in a Bills-Bears trade, Chicago would have to muster up better draft capital.

Swift is set to make about $2 million more than Cook is going to in 2025, so the Bills would have to create some space to fit him in, seeing as how the team is currently over the cap by nearly $1 million.

The good news is, the Bills won't be attached to Swift in 2026 if they trade for him. Cutting Swift would incur a dead-cap charge totaling just $1.3 million while saving $7.5 million.

Bills running back James Cook heads back to get in line for a practice play during the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on July 23, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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