Bills Trade Idea for Raiders Josh Jacobs: $10 Million Better than James Cook?

Trade gossip acknowledged but Bills salary-cap gymnastics aside, is Josh Jacobs worth $10 million more than James Cook?

The Las Vegas Raiders are suddenly under siege. Their most recent offensive stars are either gone or in limbo ... a list that some believe includes Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs.

So ... should the Buffalo Bills try to pick away at the carcass in the Nevada desert?

First, the role call: Vegas dumped Derek Carr, who is now in New Orleans. They traded Darren Waller to the Giants. Davante Adams is unhappy and is the subject of trade rumors. And the tagged Jacobs is unhappy, too - so much so that the 2022 NFL rushing champ hasn't yet signed the deal.

The Bills could settle in on James Cook to take on a bigger role in the offense; he was, after all, a second-round pick. And now they've signed Latavius Murray and Damien Harris in free agency with Devin Singletary moving to Houston.

The Bills are on-record as not planning on making an expensive-splash move. But in 2022 they did at least take the temperature of the Christian McCaffrey idea before he was traded ahead of the deadline to San Francisco.

What's the Bills temperature now with Jacobs? The likelihood of an upgrade is inarguable; he's an every-down back who would star in this Josh Allen-led offense. (So, by the way, would Minnesota's Dalvin Cook, James' brother.) The problem: Even with the Raiders' changes, they view themselves as a contender with Jimmy Garoppolo in at QB. The pivotal questions for the Raiders and Jacobs and the Bills become ...

1 - How long will they really "play Chicken'' in Vegas.

2  - Does the conflict become serious enough for Vegas to consider taking a player (Cook?) and a future pick in a swap.

3 - Salary-cap gymnastics aside, is Josh Jacobs worth $10 million more than James Cook?

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983. He is the author of two best-selling books on the NFL.