Bills’ best move before free agency starts is an easy one

With the new league year and the start of free agency fast approaching, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has many difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks. Before he can begin looking at players to bring into the building, he’ll have to decide which players are worth keeping in Buffalo as the team ushers in a new era under head coach Joe Brady.

Many of the expiring contracts are on the defensive side of the football, where new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will be implementing a new 3-4 scheme, so some turnover is to be expected anyway. But on the offensive side, the Bills have two players with expiring contracts in the middle of their offensive line, and affording both might be out of the question.

Center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards aren’t classified as elite talents, but they are two key pieces of a strong offensive front. Edwards is projected to be the top guard in the free agent market, which is likely to land him a massive deal. McGovern isn’t looking at the same situation, though his contract will likely be much bigger than his first with the Bills.

While Beane has a path to open up plenty of cap space with restructures, he does have to save some cash to spend on some difference makers on both sides of the ball. So, if he’s left with a choice between McGovern and Edwards, the decision shouldn’t be too difficult to make.

Re-Signing Connor McGovern gives the Bills continuity up front they can't afford to lose

According to Spotrac, McGovern is projected to earn a three-year, $48.8 million deal this offseason. Compare that to the $60 million Edwards is projected to get, and it’s easy to see why publications like CBS Sports and ESPN are urging the Bills to re-sign McGovern as a top priority.

Of course, it goes beyond the numbers, too. McGovern is a veteran center who has spent the past three seasons manning the middle of the Bills' offensive line, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2024. He stays healthy, having missed just two games for Buffalo, and keeping him around provides a sense of stability on an offensive line that is losing its top leader, that being former offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.

Kromer played an integral part in building the Bills’ offensive line into the refined unit it is today. While the front took a step back in pass protection in 2025, it retained its strength as a dominant rushing unit, powering the Bills to the top run game in the league. With Pat Meyer stepping in as his replacement, having continuity in four of five spots would help keep the offensive line on track.

Granted, the Bills have a suitable in-house replacement for McGovern if he walks, as 2024 fifth-rounder Sedrick Van Pran-Granger out of Georgia comes with a high ceiling. Still, he’s played just 217 offensive snaps, so Bills Mafia hasn’t exactly been given full reassurance that the 24-year-old is ready to take over the middle of the offensive line. As for left guard, Alec Anderson has shown that he's capable of stepping in to that spot if Edwards is allowed to test the open market.

Sometimes the safe bet is safe for a reason. The Bills aren’t going to immediately find a better and cheaper center than McGovern, and they can’t risk losing more pieces to the biggest strength of the team, apart from Josh Allen himself, for the sake of saving a few dollars or spending them elsewhere to fortify weaknesses. Beane will have the means to address those weaknesses regardless, so holding onto McGovern should be in his best interest ahead of free agency.