Bills’ Sean McDermott Faces Pressure

As the James Cook Contract Dispute Looms

One gets the impression that pressure is building on Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott. The 51-year-old is heading into his ninth season in charge at the Highmark, and despite the fact that the franchise has never won a Super Bowl in the NFL modern era, the Bills are considered the favorites with most sportsbooks.

Buffalo has been remarkably consistent in recent seasons, topping the AFC East in each of the past five seasons before inevitably being knocked down a peg or two by the Kansas City Chiefs, who have beaten the Bills in four of the past five postseasons.

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A head coach of McDermott’s quality is experienced enough to handle any situation that is thrown at him when it comes to issues with players on his roster, and right now, he is having to navigate problems relating to running back James Cook.

The 25-year-old, who was drafted by the Bills in 2022, is a highly rated member of McDermott’s team. However, ahead of a pre-season clash with the New York Giants, despite having taken part in the warm-ups, Cook elected not to take part in the game, leading to all manner of speculation as to his future.

This was, unsurprisingly, then the subject of post-match questions from reporters, leading McDermott to respond.

“James and I had a good conversation yesterday. We talked about warming up. He agreed to warm up, but not play, due to his situation right now. So, that’s where we’re at. So, no change really overall,”

“We wanted him to play. I wanted him to play, but I don’t really want to go into it any further,” McDermott said. “There’s really no change at this point in time from what it was going into this weekend and the game today,” McDermott added.

Cook is in the third and final year of his rookie contract and is looking for a new deal worth $15 million, which is above market value.

When pressed on the matter, McDermott attempted to move the conversation elsewhere.

“Let’s just move on,”

“We can talk about the guys who play it. I think that’s the right thing to do and the fair thing to do right now. James’ situation is James’ situation, and let’s talk about the team.”

Cook started 16 regular-season games in 2024 and three postseason encounters and is a player McDermott won’t want to lose. He completed 1009 rushing yards and a career-high 16 touchdowns to help the Bills to the playoffs and scored another three touchdowns before Buffalo was beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

Sean McDermott will have to consider the options going forward, preferably before the problems become a bigger distraction in the locker room.

The post Bills’ Sean McDermott Faces Pressure appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/08/20/street-talk/cook-contract/