Wednesday, July 23, marked the official kickoff of the Bills‘ training camp at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York. Coach Sean McDermott set the tone for the locker room: “If you don’t believe that, it’s never going to work.” The team’s red zone drills featured both fireworks and frustrations, although the snaps are too premature to be commented on. But beyond the intensity on the field, a quieter, more intense battle is brewing behind closed doors. It’s contract-o’clock in the front office before the team hits the ground against the Giants on August 9 in the preseason games.

Running back James Cook, entering the final year of his rookie contract, has yet to secure the payday he believes he deserves. While the front office handed out over $500 million in extensions to Josh Allen, Greg Rousseau, Terrel Bernard, and Khalil Shakir, Cook waits. Not in silence, but in a kind of eerie commendable patience. As per reports, the Bills RB wants $15 million per year in his next contract, a price the front office appears unwilling to match. Despite the ongoing dispute, Cook reported to the first day of training camp on time and fully engaged. His presence spoke volumes. “I couldn’t be more pleased with James and him being here on time and ready to go,” head coach Sean McDermott said. “I had a chance to greet him yesterday, shake his hand, look him in the eye, and he’s ready to go.”

On the July 24th episode of The Sal Capaccio Show, host Sal Capaccio and analyst Matthew Bové unpacked the deeper layers of Cook’s situation. Bové emphasized that the Bills are not prepared to let their star back test the market. “I do think it’s a really good sign that he is here and practicing saying, and you know. Now it is a non-story. It was a non-story, like,” Bové said. The message was clear as Cook decided to go against the league trend of weeks’ worth of holdouts, making his contract battle a “non-story.”

Still, the shape of Cook’s potential payday remains unclear. Yet, positive news can be expected from HC even though the RB does not have much leverage in the situation. As Bové noted, “It also did sound like there was some open dialogue with either Beane or other members of the front office and James Cook and his representation.” There is another work about the front office can choose. If a long-term extension proves elusive, the Bills could keep him on a franchise tag. That figure for running backs next offseason is projected to land between $13 and $14 million, according to Pro Football Network, which is just a mil short of his reported ask.

Capaccio pointed to the franchise tag as a likely outcome. “I want to remind everybody that they could place the franchise tag. Or the transition tag on him at the end of the year, if they really want to. If he has a monster year. Like, look, we’re not gonna lose the guy. We don’t want to lose him.” There are two key factors here: performance and cap implications. If we talk about performance beyond the brilliant stats, CNN labeled Cook the best RB in the league last year, next to Saquon Barkley, crediting him as a game-changer against the Patriots and a major reason why Buffalo looked like a Super Bowl threat.

There is also a financial layer. If the Bills release Cook, they would eat $355,400 in dead cap, a manageable but immediate hit. Bové explained, “It’s financially tough because you got to count that money right away on the salary cap. But you could do it. If he were to leave your free agency, they’d probably get a comp pick for him based on how everything else goes.”

Still, GM Brandon Beane has seen the effort Cook put in this offseason. That work ethic might be his strongest bargaining chip yet.

Brandon Beane is rooting for James Cook

Brandon Beane did not hold back when speaking about James Cook during training camp. The Bills’ general manager made his feelings clear. “I love James Cook…I want to draft, develop, re-sign our own. It is a business. We have to fit it in.” His words left no doubt about his appreciation for Cook’s game and his place in Buffalo’s plans. As analyst Matthew Bové added, Beane is “hopeful that when we’re sitting here next year for training camp, James Cook is going to be out there practising.”

When asked directly about Cook’s salary demands, Beane walked the line with practiced diplomacy. “Of course, who doesn’t want to get paid?” he said. But performance and cap space will ultimately determine the outcome. Beane repeated his wish for continuity in his closing thoughts. “James fits Buffalo,” he said.

Still, the running back’s standing inside the building remains strong. In a previous episode, Sal Capaccio emphasized the support Cook has from his teammates. “I get the sense that where this team is now, the people they have there in the locker room, the leaders especially, I don’t know if it would really matter. And they would still say, Hey, we want James to get his money.”

Cook is still chasing that payday, but the Bills know just how valuable he is between the lines as HC attempts to balance the roster. For now, Cook is showing up in “good faith!”