The Buffalo Bills aren't thinking about the offseason just yet, and they're hoping that those problems don't have to be addressed any time soon. The Bills are trying to extend their season on Sunday with a win in the Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens in front of their home fans in Buffalo.
Whenever the season does end for the Bills, they have plenty of work to do to keep this core of players together that led them to the No. 2 seed in the AFC. One of those breakout stars is running back James Cook, who finished the regular season with 1,009 rushing yards, 258 receiving yards and 18 total touchdowns.
Cook is up for an extension this offseason and the Bills understandably want to keep him around, but they are going to have some tough decisions to make according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
“[James Cook] certainly has set himself up for a nice payday,” Rapoport said. “He is extension eligible this year and my understanding is that he is a big part of the Bills future. The issue though is after a transition year for the Bills, taking on all that dead money, they are ready to pay some young stars. Josh Allen may get a new contract, get an adjustment there. Terrel Bernard, Connor McGovern, Christian Benford, Greg Rousseau, there is a long line of really talented young Bills players waiting for paydays.”
James Cook has been a huge key to the Bills' success

Even though they have a lot of key young players to pay this offseason and in the coming years, the Bills should do everything in their power to keep James Cook around moving forward.
Cook's powerful running style and ability to get the hard yards between the tackles has been a crucial part of Buffalo's success on offense this season. Josh Allen rightfully steals the headlines with his heroic plays and gaudy stats, but Cook represents the meat and potatoes of the offense. The Bills have quietly been one of the most bruising running teams in the NFL this season, and Cook has been right at the center of that.
Cook has also gotten much better as a runner over the years. He didn't come into the NFL with this level of strength or reliability between the tackles, but he has developed that over the years. It's reasonable to assume that Cook can still keep improving, making him well worth a new contract.
If the Bills can't bring Cook back, their running game would presumably take a step back and turn the offense back into the Allen-centric unit that they have tried to get away from this season. For all of these reasons, taking care of Cook should be near the top of the priority list for the Bills this offseason.