The Bills have locked down their core this offseason and look set for another deep playoff run in 2025. With a strong defense, Josh Allen at the helm, and some rising stars stepping up, things are clicking for Sean McDermott and the team. But nothing’s ever perfect with the Bills, is it? Amidst all the good, there is one bad apple in the tree who’s making things complicated at camp.

Yeah, underneath this well-oiled machine and positive vibes, there’s one big problem hanging over the team: the standoff with James Cook. And when asked about Cook’s availability, Sean McDermott’s answer was rather…terse. He didn’t beat around the bush: “Let’s just move on. We’ll talk about the guys that played… James’ situation is James’ situation.” He sounded like he was done with this saga. And honestly, so are we.

Cook blew up after the 2022 draft, proving he’s a legit weapon last season with 914 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns, and 32 catches for nearly 300 yards. All in 14 games! Now he’s asking for a payday that would put him among the top-paid running backs in the league, but the Bills haven’t been ready to pull the trigger on that yet. Definitely a tricky situation. But you can see where he is coming from.

He saw his team pay big money to guys like Khalil Shakir, Greg Rousseau, Terrel Bernard, and Christian Benford this offseason. Josh Allen also got a new deal, and it came with an NFL record for guaranteed money. So you can’t blame the guy for feeling a little jealous.

And right now, there’s not much progress. It’s even worse than it was a month ago. The Pro Bowler showed up and didn’t miss a single practice during mini-camp and the first week or so of training camp. But now, he’s started holding out, sitting out of practice until they can get something done. It’s definitely heating up.

And if you think he doesn’t deserve the money he’s expecting, Cook just had a huge year, leading the whole NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns. It’s super important for the Bills to get him locked down long-term if they want to keep that kind of production going. But he isn’t helping himself. Things turned from bad to worse after he rejected Sean McDermott’s request.

James Cook rejects Sean McDermott’s request to play

Things have escalated. The coach said Cook turned down the request to practice, even though he agreed to warm up with the team. “We wanted him to play. I wanted him to play… That’s where we’re at. No change,” McDermott said straight-up after their recent chat.

This “no” from Cook shows just how stuck things are getting in this contract standoff. Especially with the Bills in the middle of a crucial part of the preseason. McDermott said their talk was “good,” but Cook’s message was clear. He’s okay warming up to show support, but he’s standing his ground and won’t fully practice until he gets the contract he wants.

Cook’s holdout isn’t coming without a cost. Without their go-to RB out there, the Bills have been leaning on Mike Davis and rookie Jalen Berger, but neither of them brings the same big-play threat that Cook does. In their latest preseason game, Davis had a pretty quiet day with 11 carries for 39 yards. Definitely not the explosive stuff Cook usually gives them.

James Cook sitting out isn’t just about the plays on the field. It’s starting to mess with the team’s chemistry, too. People around the locker room say the guys get where Cook’s coming from and want him to get a fair deal, but there’s definitely some frustration about how his absence is throwing off the team’s flow and hurting their prep for the regular season.