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James Cook is a vital part of the Buffalo Bills’ offense, and they treated him as such on Wednesday.
After a drawn-out contract disagreement this offseason, Cook returned to practice on Tuesday after missing four days of training camp. That signaled that perhaps a resolution was at hand, but the resolution even came quicker than optimists may have hoped.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills and Cook came to agreement on a four-year, $48 million extension as of Wednesday morning. The deal includes $30 million in guarantees and takes effect this season.
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“James could only envision himself as a Buffalo Bill,” said agent Zac Hiller of LAA, per Schefter. “We are extremely thankful to the entire Bills organization and glad we could make that happen.”
Cook, a two-time Pro Bowler in his first three NFL seasons, rushed for 16 touchdowns to lead the league last season. The 25-year-old tallied 1,009 rushing yards and 258 receiving yards, though he missed a game and ceded a small amount of his workload to rookie Ray Davis.
As a team with championship aspirations, the Bills couldn’t afford to lose their reliable star in the backfield, even if it was only for a game or two. Hold-ins and holdouts have the potential to change not only the entire season for a team, but a player’s career outlook at large.
Fortunately for Buffalo, the Bills and Cook resolved theirs quickly. This Buffalo team can now turn its attention to gunning for a sixth-straight AFC East title, and more importantly, a first-ever Lombardi Trophy.
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