Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane declined to comment Thursday on the status of contract talks 鈥 if there are any 鈥 with running back James Cook after the team鈥檚 final mandatory minicamp practice, but Beane expects him to report to training camp next month.
鈥淗e hasn鈥檛 said, 鈥楬ey, I won鈥檛 be here if there鈥檚 no deal,鈥 or any other circumstance,鈥 Beane said. 鈥淚 believe Jimbo will be ready to roll if there鈥檚 a deal or not.鈥
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is entering the final season of his rookie contract.
Cook is entering the final year of his rookie contract signed in 2022 and is scheduled to make $5.3 million, 15th-most among running backs in the NFL. He has publicly stated his desire to sign a long-term deal averaging $15 million; only Philadelphia鈥檚 Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million) and San Francisco鈥檚 Christian McCaffrey ($19 million) average more. Baltimore鈥檚 Derrick Henry is at $15 million.
Asked if the Bills and Cook鈥檚 camp are engaged in contract talks, Beane said: 鈥淚鈥檒l keep that between us as far as that. The relationship is very good.鈥
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Attending minicamp kept Cook from being fined a maximum $101,716, and the team expects he will report to camp to avoid a daily fine of $50,000.
Cook did not attend any of the Bills鈥 voluntary workouts this spring.
鈥淚t鈥檚 voluntary; we know that and we鈥檝e had it before, even with players who weren鈥檛 lobbying for a new contract,鈥 Beane said. 鈥淛imbo is a pro. He鈥檚 a competitive dude; he loves to win, and of course he wants to take care of himself. Everyone does and we love to see that, and we love to see it here as many times as we can. We know we have to fit things within the cap and the cash structure.鈥
Beane said he 鈥渃hatted with (Cook) a couple times鈥 this week.
鈥淗e looks good out there (at practice),鈥 Beane said. 鈥淵ou can tell he鈥檚 been working.鈥
Attendance
Bills rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston did not participate in the final practice of minicamp because of a tweaked hamstring, but he鈥檚 expected to be ready for the start of training camp, Beane told reporters.
鈥淗e鈥檒l rehab it and be ready for camp,鈥 Beane said.
Hairston suffered the injury during an 11-on-11 drill late in practice Wednesday. He was examined by trainers and watched the final drill before practice ended. Hairston, second-round pick defensive tackle T.J. Sanders and fourth-round pick defensive tackle Deone Walker remain unsigned.
Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones was absent Thursday for 鈥減ersonal reasons,鈥 Beane added, and safety Cole Bishop sat out again as a precaution because of a minor injury.
Offensive lineman Alec Anderson, center Connor McGovern, running back Ty Johnson, wide receiver K.J. Hamler, edge rusher Joey Bosa and nickel cornerback Cam Lewis also did not practice. Beane echoed Bosa鈥檚 view that the veteran should be ready to return at the start of training camp.
Wide receiver Laviska Shenault was a full participant after watching from the sideline Wednesday, and the Bills鈥 newest linebacker, Shaq Thompson, is targeting training camp as his return from a torn Achilles that he suffered last season with Carolina.
Highlights
Mike White has emerged as a legitimate candidate to back up Josh Allen this season.
White delivered another standout performance Thursday with touchdown passes to tight end Zach Davidson and wide receiver Jalen Virgil during red-zone drills.
A large group of players sprinted to the end zone to celebrate with Virgil, who made a specular one-handed catch in an 11-on-11 period. Virgil, 26, played at Appalachian State and signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2022. The Bills signed him to their practice squad at the end of training camp last season.
Undrafted rookie wide receiver Stephen Gosnell also impressed during minicamp with his efficient route-running. He caught a touchdown from Mitch Trubisky in a 7-on-7 red zone drill.
Strong finish
Allen connected with tight end Dalton Kincaid on a pair of 5-yard touchdown passes during the 11-on-11 red-zone team period early in practice. Kincaid was a standout throughout the spring, showing the confidence that was not evident while he played through multiple injuries last season.
Wide receiver Tyrell Shavers added a touchdown catch, as he continued to show improvement from a rookie season in which his first catch went 69 yards for a touchdown.
State-bound
His Bills practice work done for the week, coach Sean McDermott will shift into fan mode at 4 p.m. Friday when the Orchard Park High School softball team plays Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA semifinals in Binghamton. McDermott鈥檚 daughter, Maddy, plays for the team as well as Lainey Babich, daughter of Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy for those girls,鈥 McDermott said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been great to watch them. You watch them have success and it鈥檚 been fun watching these kids grow up. You鈥檙e watching your kids work hard and you鈥檙e watching the team work hard and reap the dividends. It makes you emotional watching it unfold.鈥
If Orchard Park advances, it will play for the state championship at 1 p.m. Saturday against the Clarkstown South-Horseheads winner.
