James Cook has heard the story a hundred times. Four seasons in Buffalo, four playoff runs, four exits that stung a little differently each time. He’s not interested in retelling it anymore.
“It’s on us. It’s on us,” Cook said Tuesday on Good Morning Football, addressing what it’ll take for the Bills to finally represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, according to NFL.com. “We control our own destiny, I feel like. We always get close every year and just never get over the hump.”
Buffalo’s playoff frustration didn’t start with Cook. It stretches back to the franchise’s four straight Super Bowl losses in the early 1990s, and more recently to a run of seven consecutive postseason appearances that has yet to produce a trip to the big game.
A Genuine Reset in Buffalo
This offseason gave the Bills a real jolt. The team fired head coach Sean McDermott in January after nine seasons, a decision that came less than 48 hours after a 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round. McDermott left with a 98-50 regular-season record but an 8-8 mark in the playoffs — five straight AFC East titles and zero Super Bowl trips to show for it.
Buffalo promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to replace him, and Cook — who has played under Brady since 2023 — says the building already feels different.
“It’s just a new energy in the building,” Cook said. “It’s gonna always be like that, I feel like, when you have a new head coach coming in, a young one, too, at that. Joe’s a young head coach coming in, his first year being a head coach.”
Cook wasn’t alone in echoing that sentiment. In a separate conversation with the same GMFB crew, he told reporters Brady’s approach hasn’t changed much despite the new title: “To me, nothing has changed. Joe’s going to be Joe, and he’s going to be himself. He just wants you to play football and have fun,” Cook said, according to Yahoo Sports.
New Stadium, New Records to Chase
Buffalo isn’t just breaking in a new coach. The Bills are moving into a rebuilt Highmark Stadium this season, and Cook already has his eye on what that means for him personally.
“For me, it’s just simple: In a new stadium, you get to break new records,” Cook said.
The Rushing Title Is Already in the Past
Cook led the NFL in rushing last season with 1,621 yards, a performance that earned him his third straight Pro Bowl selection. He’s treating it as ancient history.
“I won the rushing title, but this year is a new year, so that don’t matter no more,” Cook said. “I tell everybody it’s over now, so let’s just flip the page and let’s try to go do it again. Just get your mind right, just do it again, that’s all.”
That mentality carried into minicamp in June, where Cook made his spring practice debut after sitting out voluntary OTAs. Asked about his goals for 2026, he kept it simple: “Bring a Super Bowl here. That’s what I’m trying to do,” he said, per Yahoo Sports.
Why It Matters
Brady inherits a roster built around two legitimate stars in Cook and quarterback Josh Allen, but a defense that got gashed at times last season and a receiving corps still searching for more playmakers. The pressure isn’t subtle — Buffalo has the quarterback, now it needs the coaching staff and the depth to finish the job. Training camp opens July 29 at St. John Fisher University, with rookies reporting a week earlier.
