Bills face tumultuous start to offseason workouts

Teams across the NFL are well underway with their OTA training programs. The Patriots have dealt with some offseason controversies over the last few weeks, but for the most part, attendance and health hasn't been an issue.

However, issues have sprung up across the league, most notably the issues in Buffalo. A contract dispute with running back James Cook and also an injury to new signing Joey Bosa has prohibited the Bills from reaching full attendance.

Cook remains away from the team and training on his own as he seeks a top-dollar extension from Buffalo.

"Yeah, we're staying in touch, like you'd expect a player and a coach to do," Bills head coach Sean McDermott said (via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN). "So, James will be here when he's ready to be here and we move forward."

There's no doubt that the 25-year-old will command a handsome salary when his rookie deal is up at the end of the season, but his demands seem to be top-five running back numbers.

In a recent Instagram live video, he pinned the words "15 mill [per] year," which, presumably, means that's the money he's looking to get in his next contract. If Cook were to sign an extension that would earn him a $15 million annual average value (AAV), he would be tied with Derrick Henry as the third-highest paid running back in the league.

Aside from Ashton Jeanty, who was obviously just drafted, Cook is younger than all the backs mentioned above. He was tied with Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs for the most touchdowns among all running backs with 16 last year, so he has a solid case for a top-five deal.

However, he only registered 1,009 yards, which is at least 400 fewer than any of the guys mentioned above - again not including Jeanty and Christian McCaffrey, who was injured for most of 2024, so his 2023 statistics give an accurate depiction.

Now granted, Gibbs had only 207 carries in 2024 - Barkley, Henry, and Taylor all exceeded 300 - but that could contribute to the Bills' hesitation.

Bosa "pulled a calf," said McDermott, he "more than likely" will not train for the remainder of the OTAs but is expected to be ready for training camp. The injury this early in the offseason could be worrisome for their near-30 free-agent signing, who has dealt with various injuries over the last few seasons.

"Listen, it is concerning," McDermott said, via ESPN. "Durability, availability are key ties to our roster. And so, we basically look ahead in terms of what he's doing now, which is getting himself the treatment that he needs and he's working hard at it, and that's all that he can control right now, and we get him back when we get him back, probably at this point [for] training camp. So, we're going to do the best job we can, and I know he is as well, and just take it one day at a time."

Obviously it's very early, but the Cooks situation in particular is something for Patriots fans to keep an eye on. If the dispute persists into training camp and further it could signal some turmoil within a division rival.

Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.