The Buffalo Bills don’t enter the 2025 NFL offseason with a ton of extra cash, but that hasn’t stopped the organization from opening up the checkbook to keep their home-grown talent on the books for the foreseeable future.
Breaking: Bills Sign DE Greg Rousseau to Lengthy Contract Extension
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills have managed to get a contract extension done with their 2021 first-round pick on Saturday.
Schefter’s post on X reads, “Another big deal in Buffalo: Former first-round pick Greg Rousseau and the Bills reached agreement today on a four-year, $80 million extension that includes $54 million guaranteed, per sources.”
The finances of the deal are noteworthy with the Bills likely to face a handful of tough roster decisions or restructuring deals with veterans to make room for a move like this.
Rousseau tied his career best mark of eight sacks in 2024, but did finish with his best total tackle mark of his first four seasons with 53 last year. Additionally, Rousseau regularly created havoc in opposing backfields with three forced fumbles and three passes defended.
Schefter’s college at ESPN, Alaina Getzenberg, added a bit more context to the deal with her article on Saturday.
Getzenberg wrote, “A 2021 first-round draft pick by the Bills, Rousseau was set to play on his fifth-year option. Instead, the deal keeps him with the team through 2029.” Getzenberg added, “Rousseau, who turns 25 on April 5, joins wide receiver Khalil Shakir and linebacker Terrel Bernard as Bills draft picks to agree to extensions with the team through 2029 in the past two weeks.”
The Bills made it clear that Rousseau is a very important piece of their defense with this lengthy, and expensive, contract extension. While this deal helps shore up one side of the roster, he isn’t the only Buffalo Bill in search of a new deal.
Other Bills Who Could Receive a Contract Extension
The first player that comes to mind is James Cook, who produced a career best 18 total touchdowns on just 239 touches last season. Cook, who was a second-round pick back in 2022, is entering the final year of his rookie deal and has voiced his desire to receive a contract extension this offseason.
At times, Cook looked like the best offensive weapon, not named Josh Allen, in the offense during their run to the AFC Championship Game. Cook tallied 336 total yards and three scores over 59 touches this postseason. Some might argue he actually needed to touch the ball more than he did in the team’s loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.
As Getzenberg mentioned, Shakir already received his extension in the form of a deal worth up to $60.2 million, with $32 million guaranteed. In a similar fashion to Cook, Shakir is coming off of his best year as a pro. Shakir’s 76 receptions for 821 yards over 100 targets comfortably led the team in receiving.
The Bills receiving core past Shakir is still filled with question marks. Keon Coleman had an underwhelming rookie year, Dalton Kincaid failed to live up to the lofty expectations of many fantasy managers, and Amari Cooper is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
This lack of proven playmakers in the passing game, actually helps Cooks’ case for a new deal with his dynamic pass-catching skillset out of the backfield.
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