After being the center of attention on the HBO series, Hard Knocks, last offseason during a contract dispute with Buffalo, Cook went on to have a season he’ll never forget — both for good . . . and not so good reasons.
Eventually settling on a four-year, $48 million contract extension with the team on August 13, 2025, which guaranteed him $30 million and made him the sixth-highest running back at the time of the signing, the former 2022 second-round pick proved to be worth every single penny of the newly-negotiated pact last season.
In 17 regular season games, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder bobbed and weaved his way through opposing defenses en route to amassing a career-high 309 carries and 1,621 rushing yards to go along with 12 touchdowns on the ground.
Cook also added 33 receptions for 291 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the regular season, as well.
But, it was his efforts on the ground that were truly something to behold for members of Bills Mafia and fans around the NFL last year, as his impressive mark in the rushing total category landed him at the top spot in the league when all was said and done in January.
Cook was chasing Bills history in 2025
The former Georgia Bulldog—after being seemingly disgruntled all offseason prior to his extension—won the league’s rushing title, which is something that a Bills running back hadn’t done since O.J. Simpson did so in 1976.
Yeah, on second thought, “impressive” might be an understatement.
“Historic” is probably a better way to reference the type of galloping on the gridiron that the Florida native did during his fourth professional season last year.
“It means a lot. (It’s) just something nobody in my family has done, (and) just nothing somebody has done here (with the Bills) in a long time,” said Cook late last season.
“As a running back—that’s everybody’s goal—just to win the rushing title.”
Cook capped off his heroics in the regular season by registering 39 combined carries in the team’s two playoff appearances in January, which included 24 rushes for 117 yards in Buffalo’s divisional round matchup with the Denver Broncos, which ultimately ended in a heartbreaking 33-30 overtime loss for Buffalo at Empower Field at Mile High.
It wasn’t the result that anyone was hoping for.
Critical mistakes proved costly for Cook, Bills last season
And, while many fans and media members like to pinpoint Brandin Cooks’ “non-catch” as the most pivotal moment in the game that evening . . . there were several other mishaps from former head coach Sean McDermott’s team—both on offense and defense—that ended up costing the Bills the game.
Buffalo turned the ball over five times, in fact, but sometimes those little details, which aren’t actually so little, get lost in the grand scheme of things by some spectators in the heat of the moment.
But, those particulars are also the things that tend to stick with players during an offseason.
And, the miscues made in the most critical of moments can even be haunting at times, especially for the ones who truly want to be the greatest in the sport.
Buffalo’s lead running back is no different.
And, Cook was one of those players to turn the ball over against Denver: he hasn’t forgotten that.
Leading 7-3 and marching deep into Denver territory in the second quarter, Buffalo had a chance to take a commanding double-digit lead over the top-seeded Broncos with roughly 13 minutes remaining before halftime.
But, then the turnovers started happening . . . and Cook was the first to do so when linebacker Alex Singleton forced a fumble on a hard hit during an outside pitch play to the left on first-and-10 at Denver’s 32-yard line.
At the very least, Buffalo should’ve been able to kick a field goal to go up by a touchdown.
That didn’t happen, though, and—before Buffalo could blink—the team found itself trailing 20-10 at halftime.
The rest is history.
And, it’s not the type of history that Cook wants to be writing.
“The ultimate goal is to win a championship, and that didn’t happen. So, you know, you’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and get better. And, (then) see what the future holds for this year,” Cook said in an interview following Buffalo’s mandatory veteran minicamp practice on June 10.
“I just went in (last year) and did what I had to do to help my teammates win games . . . I mean, (I’ve got to) protect the ball, most importantly, you know? I didn’t feel like I did a good enough job of that, but (it’s a) new season.
“You know, (I’ve got) the whole offseason to work on it (and) got the summer, so (I have to) come back ready to go.”
Ball security continues to be an issue for Buffalo’s former second-round pick
Although seemingly an “easy” fix, ball security has been an issue that has followed Cook since he entered the league in 2022.
His first career carry in the NFL on national television on September 8, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California?
A fumble.
And, it was a turnover that subsequently landed the second-rounder on the bench for the remainder of that game.
The woes didn’t stop there, either.
From 2022 to 2024, the recent University of Georgia graduate fumbled the ball six times before matching that total in one season last year.
No, not that’s not a typo.
Cook had six fumbles in 2025—which was tops in the league by two—and he had seven when counting the critical one in the playoffs against Denver.
It’s clearly an issue. He has a total of 13 for his career.
And, it’s those types of little details, which were referred to earlier, that have seemingly held the Bills back in the playoffs in recent seasons of the past.
If Buffalo is going to bound its way toward a Super Bowl victory in 2026, then head coach Joe Brady’s squad will have to be much more buttoned up, so to speak.
And, it’ll largely start with Cook.
So, in order to do that, it appears that the Bills may look to keep their top running back a bit more fresh next season by utilizing the likes of Ty Johnson and Ray Davis in the ground game more.
But, that doesn’t necessarily mean having the 2025 NFL rushing champion become less involved.
In fact, it might be the opposite.
Getting Cook involved in passing game may be the key to unlocking even more
“I think that’s probably a week-to-week thing. I think that’s, you know, something I’ve experienced in other places, as well. (It) is kind of just making sure that, you know, the week-to-week, the workload doesn’t get too overbearing,” new Bills offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. said in his most recent media appearance with reporters at One Bills Drive earlier this month.
“You’re going to need these guys in the (critical moments), you know, (and) down the stretch of the season. But, I think (those are) discussions that we’ve had, and it’s just — hey — there are plenty of guys on this team that we feel like can be playmakers for us.”
Still though, no playmaker is seemingly more important to keeping the offense on schedule or more capable of breaking a game open than Cook is.
Carmichael Jr. knows it, and his top ballcarrier knows it.
But, there’s room for more.
Entering the league, he was widely viewed by many analysts as being better suited to become a receiving ‘back in the NFL than a true ground-and-pound runner.
That hasn’t been the case for the 26-year-old thus far in his professional career, however, as the Bulldog-turned-Bill has recorded just an average of 32.5 receptions per season with an average of 9.0 yards per reception.
Those numbers, while solid, have come with Cook mostly being the lead man in Buffalo’s backfield.
In college—while splitting the workload with Zamir White, and even current Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift for a time—Cook was more effective catching passes than he’s ever been as a professional, which was evidenced by his impressive average of 10.9 yards-per-reception as an undergraduate.
In the past two years in the NFL, the younger brother of Dalvin Cook has scored just two receiving touchdowns in 2024 and 2025, respectively, but he had a total of six between his final two seasons at Georgia alone.
Simply put, there’s more to be gleaned from James Cook’s game.
And, doing so in a different manner—instead of just running the ball nearly 20 times a game, which is what he averaged (18.2) in the regular season last year according to Pro Football Reference—could be a way of unlocking an even more monstrous season from the fifth-year running back . . . while also keeping him more fresh at the same time.
Future potential production under Carmichael Jr. is enticing
The potential for what could unfold this season for Cook has new Bills’ offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. excited, especially considering he has a history of having success with runners who have similar receiving capabilities.
Chief among them?
Running backs Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, and Alvin Kamara, all of whom had at least two seasons with 71 or more receptions while under the watchful eye of Carmichael Jr. in New Orleans.
Known for creating and executing a quality screen game by using his runners in the passing game with the Saints, Buffalo’s successor to new head coach Joe Brady at offensive coordinator hopes to do the same with Cook and company in Western New York.
“A lot goes into that. I think that you’re putting them in and you’re repping them (as much as possible), and so guys get a feel for the timing of it. And, it’s also (that) there might be certain looks that you don’t want to run (a screen) against,” Carmichael added in his interview at One Bills Drive.
“So, I think (it’s about) the collaboration of the offensive staff saying, ‘Hey, let’s try these couple screens and see how they go.’ But, let’s make sure that we’re getting them into the looks that we want, and we’re not running a screen into a look that’s like, ‘Ah, that didn’t go very well.’”
Looking toward training camp in Western New York
Whether or not the Bills will be running the screen game more effectively under their new coordinator remains to be seen.
It will still be Brady calling the plays, after all, but the hope within the building in Orchard Park, New York, seems to be that Carmichael Jr. can provide some wisdom and add his tricks of the trade to help create an uptick in production wherever he sees fit.
And, if that increase in production—in terms of volume and receiving statistics—happens to go to Cook in the passing game next season, then the league better be on high alert, especially if Buffalo’s lead ‘back can keep a better hold of the ball moving forward.
That will be a major key in 2026.
“Just keep getting better,” Cook continued in his press conference following mandatory minicamp in early June.
“Keep getting better, bigger, stronger, faster, and ready for the season.”
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