Bills
Bills GM Brandon Beane expects that RB James Cook will be ready for the 2025 campaign regardless of his contract situation.
“I know we’ve had people in the building that he’s been talking with, and I have no doubt when it’s time to play football, he’ll be ready to roll,” Beane told Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio on Wednesday. “Sometimes, business gets in the way, we understand that. Jimbo he is a competitive dude. He loves playing for this team. He loves being a part of it. He loves his role here. And he fits this offense really well. I think it’s been a great fit for him, and it’s been fun to watch him the first three years. Every year, he’s taken a step, and to see him get the accolades he got last season was cool. … Where he’s come from, he was looked at as kind of maybe a third-down back or a change-of-pace back, and he proved he could play on all downs. And he’ll continue to work on that.”
Jets
Jets QB Tyrod Taylor didn’t say whether or not if he was told that he had a legitimate chance to start next season for New York, but fully supports QB Justin Fields and is willing to help him any way that he can.
“Whether I did or whether I didn’t, my mindset and the way I condition myself to get ready for a season since my rookie year has been [to] approach each and every day as if you’re the starter,” Taylor said, via ESPN. “As a quarterback, you’re an opportunity away, so you want to be well prepared for that opportunity.”
Taylor is very familiar with Fields, who trained together in Atlanta during the offseason.
“We’ve been good friends throughout his time in the league as well,” Taylor said. “So I’m here to support and help the team win in any form or fashion, whether it’s me on the field or whether it’s me being able to shed some light and experience and coach guys through, whether it’s in the quarterback room or any other position. Any knowledge or experience that I could offer to the younger guys that helps the team win, at the end of the day, is what I’m here to do. I’m looking forward to doing that.”
Patriots
Patriots TE Austin Hooper said WR Stefon Diggs has been participating in voluntary offseason workouts and looks better than he thought, given the injury he suffered this past season.
“Energy, man. You can see he’s a freak,” Hooper said of Diggs, via Pro Football Talk. “I know he just came off what he came off of, and you can see him already with the explosion, the change of direction, the top end. It’s like, ‘Dang, dude, it must be nice’, you know what I mean? I’m really excited to work with a proven veteran, good player in this league.”
The Patriots re-signed Hooper to a one-year, $5 million extension in March. He said playing alongside QB Drake Maye was a “big part” of his decision.
“I’d be lying if I say that wasn’t a big part of the equation [playing with Drake Maye]. And also sharing a room with Hunter Henry,” Hooper said, via PatriotsWire.
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