On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Rams came to an agreement on a new contract extension worth $33 million over three years with running back Kyren Williams, as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter. The deal was initially reported by Drew and Jason Rosenhaus and brought to an end a saga that had Rams fans wondering whether their star running back would be in a Los Angeles uniform for the foreseeable future.
Some fans were speculating that Williams' deal could have a ripple effect on other running backs looking for new extensions around the league, and recently, Schefter reported on how that could impact Buffalo Bills star running back James Cook.
“Some around the league believed this was the deal, between Kyren Williams and the Rams, that had to get done before James Cook and the Bills escalated their contract talks,” reported Schefter on X, formerly Twitter.
James Cook has been holding out of training camp for the Bills over the last few days as he searches for his own contract extension, and it remains to be seen whether the Williams deal will indeed accelerate those talks.
A big development around the league
While the James Cook situation in Buffalo could be viewed as murky from an outside perspective, recently, both Tom Pelissero and Diana Russini reported that the two sides were closer than it may appear, which is certainly good news for Bills fans who don't want to see their star running back walk out the door anytime soon.
Meanwhile, for the Rams, the resigning of Williams gives Los Angeles some stability at the running back position for the foreseeable future as the team looks to put together another chance at a Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford under center.
Both the Bills and Rams figure to be contenders this season after advancing relatively far in the playoffs last year, but they won't be able to do so without their respective running backs.
In any case, the Bills will kick off their season at home against the Baltimore Ravens in prime time on September 7, while the Rams will get things started earlier that day with a home date against the Houston Texans.
