Josh Allen Greets James Cook As Bills RB Returns to Practice After Hold-In

Are things trending in the right direction?

Cook is currently holding in for a new contract. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Bills running back James Cook was spotted back on the practice field on Tuesday, and quarterback Josh Allen sure looked happy to see him.

In a brief clip captured by Rochester's WROC-TV, Allen was seen quickly dapping Cook up in greeting, with both players in uniform. Take a look at that below:

Josh Allen gives James Cook a quick greeting as Cook returns to practice with the #Bills pic.twitter.com/xJL3tsdHE7

— Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) August 12, 2025

Now, Allen had, of course, seen Cook before Tuesday, considering Cook was holding in, not out, and also took the field for warmups for the team's preseason contest vs. the Giants on Saturday. But the running back had not officially practiced since Aug. 3, at which point he began sitting out while angling for a contract extension. With Tuesday's appearance, it would seem said hold-in is coming to an end for now, and that a deal is perhaps on the horizon.

Ahead of Tuesday's proceedings, Bills head coach Sean McDermott hinted at a positive development in talks.

"We've had conversations with James—good conversations, as I've mentioned before," McDermott said, per BuffaloBills.com. "And the information that we're getting is that he is moving in the direction of practicing today."

Let's hope we hear more soon.

---

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed