The Bills are staring at a familiar roster problem with James Cook, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says the running back’s salary is now badly out of step with the market. Fowler’s read is that the issue could reach a breaking point in the offseason, especially with Cook still producing at a high level.
In Miami, the season has opened in rough fashion. The Dolphins are 0-3 and have also lost De’Von Achane for the rest of the year. Asked how the team keeps its edge in the middle of that kind of start, Malik Willis said the answer is simple: keep working and avoid getting distracted by outside noise.
“I mean, we’re not the only 0-3 team, and there’s not a team that’s been undefeated in a long time. Obviously, throughout the whole year, it’s just that’s how the game goes, and with the media perception, perception is reality.
We don’t have a win right now, but that’s not our reality. We go to work and we watch the tape.
And as long as we’re continuing to get better, that will lead to going out and getting a dub. So we just got to continue to work.
I think that’s what it is, keeping the main thing the main thing. And that’s going 1-and-0 each week.
We can’t worry about the last week and the week before that. We just got to continue to get better,” Willis said, via the team’s site.
Looking ahead to Week 4, Willis also pointed to the challenge of facing Minnesota’s defense and Brian Flores. He said Flores does a strong job of changing looks and keeping quarterbacks guessing.
“I mean, it was cool to see, especially just how much that defensive has changed over the years. I think he does a great job switching it up, giving you stuff that looks like something that you’ve seen and then doing something else out of it.
I think he’s a great coordinator and he shows it at how he get after these quarterbacks. And I think we just got to listen to our coaches and prepare this week with the scheme they have for us and do what we can.”
In New England, Mike Vrabel pushed back hard on the idea that there is some deeper issue between him and Drake Maye. The Patriots head coach said the quarterback was a major reason he wanted the job in the first place.
“Okay, let me just tell you why I’m here. I’m here because Drake was the quarterback.
Believe it or not, I had choices to where I wanted to coach. I wanted to coach here because Drake was the quarterback.”
Vrabel added that he didn’t have much more to say about the unnamed-source speculation.
“So, I don’t have really much other to add to that about, you know, a comment from an unnamed source. But I’ll just tell you what I’ve told numerous people, if they want to ask me why I’m here.”
Maye, for his part, said the shoulder issue on this week’s injury report has not affected his throwing or his decisions.
“No it hasn’t - and it hasn’t impacted my decision-making.”
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said the injury is believed to have happened in Week 3’s loss to the Jaguars.
In Other News...
Jessica Pegula Just Raised A New Bills Ownership Question
Jessica Pegulas latest comments offered a rare glimpse into how the Pegula family may be thinking about its future around the Bills, and it came at a time when the franchises long-term ownership picture naturally draws attention. The world No. 3 in tennis told CNBC she could see herself helping with the organization after her playing career, which is notable given how little public clarity there has been about what role, if any, she might take on beyond her current athletic path.
Her remarks also landed against the backdrop of her mother Kim Pegulas health issues, a factor that has shaped how fans think about the familys day-to-day involvement with the team. Jessica Pegula also said the family does not intend to sell its teams despite the soaring valuations around pro sports, leaving the bigger question less about ownership changing hands and more about how the next chapter inside the Pegula operation might eventually be organized. [Read more 🡒]
Bills May Have A Tough James Cook Decision Coming
James Cook has settled in as one of the more important pieces of Buffalos offense, and his recent play has only sharpened the attention around his long-term future. The Bills still have him under contract through 2029, which gives the team plenty of control on paper, but the market for running backs keeps shifting and his current deal sits 13th among players at his position.
Cooks performance has made him a logical candidate for a future raise, and that creates the kind of decision front offices try to get ahead of before it becomes urgent. Buffalo may eventually have to weigh whether an extension now is the cleaner path to keeping him around, especially if his camp starts looking at the growing salaries elsewhere in the league. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Patriots Opener Comes With A Revenge Twist Fans Will Notice
The Bills first AFC East test of the season arrives in Week 4, when New England comes to Buffalo for a matchup that carries a little extra edge. It is the kind of early divisional game that usually tells you something about both teams, and this one comes with a familiar subplot for Bills fans: the Patriots roster now includes several players who once wore Buffalo colors, giving the opener a revenge-game feel before the division race even gets rolling.
Reggie Gilliam, Mack Hollins, DaQuan Jones, Mitch Wishnowsky and Greg Van Roten have all spent time with the Bills, and each brings a different layer of familiarity to the matchup. Van Roten is on injured reserve and wont be available, but the presence of so many former Bills in a Patriots uniform adds another wrinkle to a game Buffalo already views as must-watch. In the AFC East, the margins are usually thin enough without all the added history. [Read more 🡒]