Buffalo Bills to pick up Ed Oliver’s fifth year option according to Bills’ GM
On Tuesday, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane was on WGR550 and ensured this upcoming season would not be Ed Oliver’s final year with the franchise. He confirmed that the team, according to Matt Parrino, will pick up his fifth-year option before the deadline, which would keep him under contract through 2023.
Parrino also tweeted that Beane did say he doesn’t expect the team to reach a long-term contract prior to that deadline. That isn’t surprising but also doesn’t mean that the two sides won’t continue to try to reach a new deal before the 2022 season.
The Bills have a track record of picking up the fifth-year option for players and following it up with a long-term deal later that offseason. In 2020, the team picked up Tre’Davious White’s fifth-year option and then signed him to a long term deal.
This past offseason, it was Josh Allen who had his option picked up and then agreed to a new deal a few months later. In fact, Tremaine Edmunds is the only first round pick under general manager Brandon Beane who had his option picked up and then didn’t get a new deal that same year.
Ed Oliver continued to improve this past season with the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills selected Ed Oliver with the ninth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and with the athleticism he brings to the position, he drew comparisons to Rams’ All-Pro Aaron Donald. He hasn’t reached that level, and he may not because Donald is one of the all-time greats, but he was a big part of this defense this past year.
The first two years were a bit of a disappointment but this past season was the first one that he was able to play almost exclusively as a three-tech, which is where he fits best. It is no surprise that he would have his best season with 4 sacks, 14 QB hits, and 10 tackles for a loss the final two stats were career highs for Oliver.
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It is good news that the Buffalo Bills will be keeping Ed Oliver on this defense for at least the next two seasons but the real work will begin later this offseason in trying to agree to a contract extension.