James Cook's hold-in took the Buffalo Bills by surprise.
Following the running back's Sunday comments, stating that he was sitting out of practice for "business" reasons as he seeks a contract extension, general manager Brandon Beane joined "The Jeremy & Joe Show" on WGR 550 on Monday morning, saying he didn't see Cook's move coming.
"Yeah, you know, it's not something we were fully aware of until shortly before practice," Beane said, via Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News. "So, I get it, I understand it; it's the world we're in, I guess, of how players want to respond and things like that."
Coming off back-to-back 1,000-plus yard rushing seasons, Cook is seeking an extension that would align him with the top rushers in the NFL. Earlier in the offseason, the back suggested he was looking for a new deal in the $15 million-per-year range.
Beane said early Monday he was not aware if Cook planned to continue to stage his hold-in.
"Yeah, I mean, without getting into things, there's been constant communication with his agent, either with myself or (VP of football administration) Kevin Meganck," Beane said. "So, you know, at the end of the day, I wish we weren't here. This is my ninth season here, we've never had a player miss due to a contract or anything like that, so that's disappointing for me.
"It's not something we want, it's not something we're looking forward to. But at the end of the day, like I said earlier, it sometimes can be the way of the world, so we'll deal with it the best we can, and hopefully, I'd love to see Jimbo out there today -- I don't know that answer at this point this morning whether that will happen or not -- but if it's not today, hopefully tomorrow."
When practice started later on Monday, Cook was not in uniform.
Cook enters the final year of his contract, which is set to pay him $5.271 million in base salary.
Sunday marked the first mandatory workout that the running back has missed. He skipped voluntary workouts earlier this offseason but showed up for mandatory minicamp and reported to training camp on time.
Beane noted that they will treat Cook sitting out with the "next-man-up" philosophy, giving other backs more reps in practice.
"You almost have to treat it like it's an injury," Beane said. "Let's spin a little bit of an annoyance into a positive."
Given how the Bills run their offense, with a committee dividing the rushing workload -- Cook finished tied for 19th in carries last year with 207 in 16 games -- there is a belief that Buffalo might not believe in shelling out for a running back.
Beane said he's not against paying a runner, but it must make sense for both sides.
"You're always trying to find the sweet spot of what you think makes sense for you and the player," Beane said. "This offseason, we found it with pretty much everyone we tried to get a deal done. He was the one, and that's probably why we're at where we are. We got a lot of the deals done that we tried. It's well known we tried to get something done with Jimbo.
"Unfortunately, it takes two. And both sides have to agree on what that number is. And obviously that hasn't gotten there."
Currently, that partner is content to sit on the sidelines as the Bills prepare for the upcoming season.
