The Buffalo Bills have consistently been a few plays and a few players away from advancing to the Super Bowl out of the AFC over the past several seasons, and may have closed the gap in the early days of NFL free agency this offseason.
Buffalo struck quickly in free agency, adding wide receiver Josh Palmer, emerging edge rusher Michel Hoecht, in addition to ensuring playmaking linebacker Terrel Bernard isn’t going anywhere, agreeing to terms on a long-term extension.
According to The 33rd team, the Bills have been the biggest winners of free agency, so far.
“It’s advantageous when a team can sign good players early,” Dan Pizzuta writes for The 33rd Team. “The Buffalo Bills made sure to do that before free agency opened. Buffalo signed linebacker Terrel Bernard to a four-year, $50 million extension with $25.2 million guaranteed. That got in before other linebacker contracts started to explode. Nick Bolton and Jamie Sherwood both got $15 million per year to return to their teams.
“Bernard had an impressive season in 2023, filling in for an injured Matt Milano, and carried that into 2024—also while having to play without Milano in the lineup for a stretch. Last year, Bernard took a slight step back in coverage, but he was more active against the run. According to TruMedia, Bernard had 15 tackles for loss and made a tackle on 21.1 percent of his run plays.”
Maybe Buffalo’s biggest move of all, is locking in Josh Allen for the foreseeable future, after signing the MVP quarterback to a record-setting $330 million deal that ties him to the Bills through the 2023 season.
Allen’s deal includes $250 million fully guaranteed, and ensures that the driver of much of the Bills’ success this era will be the face of the franchise for the vast majority of his career. Bills general manager Brandon Beane has also done a phenomenal job building around Allen, so far this offseason.
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