ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Running back James Cook and the Buffalo Bills have reached agreement on a four-year, $48 million contract extension that includes $30 million guaranteed, his agents, Zac Hiller and Matt Leist of LAA, told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Cook signed his new deal, which links him with the team through 2029, before practice Wednesday morning.
The extension comes a day after Cook returned to Bills practice Tuesday following a more than weeklong hold-in that resulted in the running back missing Buffalo's first preseason game. Cook was in full uniform and fully participated throughout Tuesday's session. He missed four practices during the hold-in and the preseason game, although he did warm up with the team before the contest.
"I think we had an understanding that we need to practice if we're gonna be able to get back to the table," Beane said. "And so I think there was good faith on both parts from him and his agent to our side, and once we got him back on the practice field, we really worked hard."
Beane said the deal was completed around 11 p.m. ET Tuesday.
"James could only envision himself as a Buffalo Bill," Hiller said. "We are extremely thankful to the entire Bills organization and glad we could make that happen."
JIMBO‼️
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 13, 2025
We’ve signed James Cook to a four-year contract extension: https://t.co/DKD1mH8UM0 pic.twitter.com/aDyDXs8E32
The Bills had maintained that they wanted to pay Cook throughout the offseason, with negotiations beginning early in the offseason, taking a pause ahead of the draft and resuming around training camp. Beane said he was worried about the hold-in being a distraction but that the core of the team understood what the situation was about and that Cook being in meetings and walkthroughs helped.
Beane also emphasized that "being truthful, being honest, being straight up" on their side and Cook's helped there be good conversations.
Cook is a two-time Pro Bowler and Buffalo's lead running back, but he is still part of a group. He was on the field for 47.5% of offensive snaps in games he played in of offensive plays last year, with Ty Johnson often coming in on late downs and Ray Davis also getting some opportunities.
"We like what [Cook] provides, and we do see him as a three-down-type player and we think he could take more, but we also want to use our other weapons and keep him as fresh as possible," Beane said Wednesday. "We think that's the best utilization of him, and we just look at, I know he gets put in the running back room or guys get put in a tight end room, but it's just trying to find a variety of weapons and skill sets and he's got a skill set that we wanted to maintain and keep with this offense."
A member of a Bills offense that broke records, Cook tied a team record with 16 rushing touchdowns (O.J. Simpson) in 2024 and was fifth in yards before contact per rush (3.1). He took a significant step forward during the 2024 season, doubling his total touchdowns from the previous two seasons of his career (nine) in one year (18).