Saquon Barkley was rewarded with a two-year contract extension after a record-breaking year in Philadelphia that earned him NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors, prompting rumors of raises for running backs across the NFL.
Barkley, who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles in 2024, will earn $20.6 million per year to make him the highest-paid player in the history of the running back position.
Eagles’ brass felt a need to reward their newest superstar for living up to the hype — and for exceeding even their own lofty expectations — during a historic first season that saw him break Terrell Davis’ single-season rushing record (regular season and playoffs combined).
Now, the eyes of the football world turn to other players looking to cash in.
‘Death Blow’ to Bills RB James Cook
James Cook has one year remaining on the four-year rookie deal he signed in 2022, but the idea of him inking a lucrative contract extension is already on his mind. The 25-year-old took to social media and posted “good business” in reaction to the breaking news of Barkley cashing in.
Cook hasn’t been shy about his desire for a new contract, saying on Instagram Live that he wants something in the range of $15 million per year — on par with other top running backs like Jonathan Taylor and Alvin Kamara. He’s due $5.27 million in base salary for the 2025 season, according to Spotrac.
Might be the death blow to the chances of James Cook signing an extension with the #Bills https://t.co/65b9BmJ8n0
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) March 4, 2025
Alex Brasky of Bills Digest believes Barkley’s extension could be the “death blow” for the Bills as they look ahead to the future. Would Buffalo want to pay Cook upwards of $15 million per year? Probably not.
Ray Davis’ Emergence Could Play Factor
Buffalo is fighting tough roster decisions and limited cap space in 2025 — projected to be $10.6 million over the cap — while they figure out what to do at the wide receiver spot.
Meanwhile, the Bills remain very high on Ray Davis who rushed for 442 yards on 113 carries last season as a rookie. He split the workload almost evenly with Cook (207 totes for 1,009 yards). Davis’ physicality and toughness are valued within the organization.
“He’s a dog. He’s a tough kid,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said after drafting Cook in Round 4 last year (via Buffalo Rumblings). “You watch his film, like he just plays the game violent. He’ll add just an edge to the group.”
Ray Davis is really fun to watch… just saying
pic.twitter.com/6R5w9NFTID— Primetime Adam (@AdamZientek3) March 4, 2025
Slapping the franchise tag on Cook in 2025 could be another option if the Bills wanted to keep their dynamic one-two punch together in the backfield. However, the price of the franchise tag — averaging the contracts of the top three running backs on a per-year basis: Christian McCaffrey ($19 million), Jonathan Taylor ($14 million), Saquon Barkley ($12.58 million) — works out to roughly $15.19 million.
Cook would be better served inking a long-term extension after crunching those numbers. The notion of Barkley’s contract sending a “death blow” certainly carries weight in Buffalo and throughout the NFL.