It doesn't take long to realize what were the top priorities for the Buffalo Bills this offseason.
In the span of the last week, the Bills have agreed to terms on extensions with linebacker Terrel Bernard, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, and now edge rusher Greg Rousseau.
Rousseau's four-year extension worth over $80 million makes him comfortably paid along with his teammates. It also doesn't make him one of the highest paid edge defenders in football - instead, his new deal makes him around the league average for top players.
"My heart's been here since 2021, and I didn't really want to go anywhere else," Rousseau explained. "We have a lot of great guys on our team, on our defense, on our defensive line, we're real tight. Just excited to get back to dudes like Ed (Oliver), DQ (DaQuan Jones), A.J. (Epenesa). I mean, it's a blessing to be around guys like that. It's not like that everywhere, so I was just ready to get back."
The same can't be said for Cook at this point.
Related: Why James Cook Should Be Next
Cook has repeatedly aired his dirty laundry about his pending contract negotiations out to the public at this point. It's put the Bills in an uncomfortable decision.
Especially considering he's looking to make over $15 million per year - a contract that would put him behind just Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley for running backs at this stage.
Cook hasn't shown yet that he is at that level.
Which is why the organization has chosen to re-sign plenty of other stars on the team to extensions while waiting for Cook's market price to drop. Time will tell to see if that works.
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This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 6:30 AM.