Age: 27
Free Agency: 2030 (Void)
Accrued Seasons: 4
- Height: 6'0"
- Weight: 204
- College: Georgia
- Entry: 2022 Draft, Round 2, #63 overall (Bills)
- 2026 Salary Cap Charge: $5,880,000 (1.96% of cap)
- 2026 Cash Payout: $10,000,000 (3.47% of spending)
- 2026 Cash to Cap Ratio: 1.70
- Contract Value: $46,000,000 ($11,500,000 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $15,280,000
- Contract Ranking: 10/171 at RB
Current Contract
(Extension, signed 2025)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Per Game Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signing | Option | |||||||||||||
| 2025 | 26 | $1,280,000 | $2,155,375 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,280,000 | $3,435,375 | 1.2% | |||||
| 2026
March 17: Option due
| 27 | $2,010,000 | $1,800,000 | $1,480,000 | $340,000 | $250,000 | $9,410,000 | $5,880,000 | 2.0% | |||||
| 2027
March 17: Remaining $2.91 million of 2027 salary becomes guaranteed
| 28 | $9,130,000 | $1,800,000 | $1,480,000 | $340,000 | $250,000 | $0 | $13,000,000 | 4.0% | |||||
| 2028 | 29 | $9,681,000 | $1,800,000 | $1,480,000 | $340,000 | $250,000 | $0 | $13,551,000 | 3.8% | |||||
| 2029 | 30 | $10,410,000 | $1,800,000 | $1,480,000 | $340,000 | $250,000 | $0 | $14,280,000 | -- | |||||
| 2030
February 20: Contract voids
| 31 | Void | $0 | $1,480,000 | Void | Void | Void | $1,480,000 | -- | |||||
| Total | $32,511,000 | $9,355,375 | $7,400,000 | $1,360,000 | $1,000,000 | $10,690,000 | $51,626,375 | |||||||
Contract Notes
James Cook signed a 4-year contract extension with the Buffalo Bills worth $46.0 million in new money, with $15.28 guaranteed at signing and $30.0 million in total guarantees. Cook will also receive a $7.4 million option bonus in 2026, along with vesting guarantees on his 2026 and 2027 salaries. Initial details from PFT
Cash Flows
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Due | $5,009,000 | $10,000,000 | $9,720,000 | $10,271,000 | $11,000,000 |
| Running Cash | $5,009,000 | $15,009,000 | $24,729,000 | $35,000,000 | $46,000,000 |
Career Earnings: $14,536,782
Career APY: $3,634,196
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | Drafted | Extended | 2022 | 4 | $5,832,064 | $1,458,016 | $3,096,594 | $4,256,782 | 73.0% | $1,418,927 |
| Bills | Extension | Active | 2025 | 4 | $46,000,000 | $11,500,000 | $15,280,000 | $10,280,000 | 22.3% | $10,280,000 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 4 | $14,536,782 | $3,634,196 | $7,411,782 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
Season History
| Year | Team | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Option Bonus | Per Game Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Cash Paid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bills | $705,000 | $355,375 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $705,000 | $1,060,375 | 0.5% | $2,126,500 | ||
| 2023 | Bills | $970,094 | $355,375 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $970,094 | $1,325,469 | 0.6% | $970,094 | ||
| 2024 | Bills | $1,160,188 | $355,375 | $0 | $0 | $75,000 | $0 | $1,590,563 | 0.6% | $1,160,188 | ||
| 2025 | Bills | $1,280,000 | $2,155,375 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,280,000 | $3,435,375 | 1.2% | $10,280,000 | ||
| 2026 | Bills | $2,010,000 | $1,800,000 | $1,480,000 | $340,000 | $250,000 | $9,410,000 | $5,880,000 | 2.0% | $10,000,000 | ||
| 2027 | Bills | $9,130,000 | $1,800,000 | $1,480,000 | $340,000 | $250,000 | $0 | $13,000,000 | 4.0% | $9,720,000 | ||
| 2028 | Bills | $9,681,000 | $1,800,000 | $1,480,000 | $340,000 | $250,000 | $0 | $13,551,000 | 3.8% | $10,271,000 | ||
| 2029 | Bills | $10,410,000 | $1,800,000 | $1,480,000 | $340,000 | $250,000 | $0 | $14,280,000 | -- | $11,000,000 | ||
| 2030 | Bills | $20,000,000 | $0 | $1,480,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,480,000 | -- | $0 | ||
| Total | $55,346,282 | $10,421,500 | $7,400,000 | $1,360,000 | $1,075,000 | $12,365,094 | $55,602,782 | $55,527,782 | ||||
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | Special | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Total | Lost | |||
| 2022 | 16 | 0 | 24.8% | 0.2% | 89 | 507 | 5.7 | 2 | 21 | 180 | 8.6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 17 | 0 | 54.5% | 0.0% | 237 | 1122 | 4.7 | 2 | 44 | 445 | 10.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 16 | 1 | 44.6% | 0.0% | 207 | 1009 | 4.9 | 16 | 32 | 258 | 8.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 17 | 0 | 56.4% | 0.0% | 309 | 1621 | 5.2 | 12 | 33 | 291 | 8.8 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $12,423,000 | $11,500,000 |
| Injury Adjusted | $12,423,000 | $11,500,000 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
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