The Buffalo Bills appear to be prepared to go into mandatory minicamp without one of their key playmakers.
James Cook wasn’t in attendance during OTAs, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he believes it will be the same story when mandatory minicamp begins on June 10.
The Bills and Cook, per Schefter, are far apart in contract negotiations.
“(He) has basically disconnected himself from the organization and the city,” Schefter said on a recent episode of “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” and alsot noted the running back has put his home up for sale. "I don’t think we’ll be seeing him in Buffalo anytime soon."
Should Cook miss minicamp, he would be subject to fines. The same can be said if he sits out of training camp, which comes with a $50,000 daily fine.
The 25-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is set to earn over $5 million.
It’s unclear how far apart the two sides are, but Schefter believes they’re nowhere close to a resolution.
“With a deal not on the horizon, that looms as a little storm cloud over the promising season that’s ahead for the Buffalo Bills,” Schefter said. “I don’t think the two sides are close now and I think this is going to take some time to figure out.”
Cook is an important piece to Buffalo’s offense. In 16 games during the 2024 season, the running back had 1,009 yards with 16 touchdowns.