There is one potential problem that the Buffalo Bills could be facing going into next season if they choose to go in a different direction. Their Pro Bowl center Connor McGovern is in a contract year and the Bills will have to make a tough decision on whether or not to extend him.
The Bills signed McGovern in 2023 after he spent the first four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Buffalo brought him to play guard, but then after the Bills released Mitch Morse in the 2024 offseason, they put McGovern at center and he excelled in his first season. He was the anchor to an offensive line that only gave up 14 sacks last year and he earned his first Pro Bowl honors.
It was a little surprising that the Bills didn’t extend McGovern, but maybe they feel that it would be easier to find his replacement rather than lose someone like James Cook, who was also entering a contract year before he got his extension prior to the start of the season.
In the 2024 NFL draft, the Bills drafted Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger in the 5th round but even if McGovern does leave the Bills next offseason, it would not be surprising to see the Bills still go out and either sign or draft McGovern’s replacement.
Latest 2026 mock draft has Bills finding Connor McGovern's replacement
Ryan Wilson from CBS Sports put together a 2026 NFL mock draft and at No. 32 in Wilson’s mock, the Bills selected Auburn offensive lineman, Connor Lew. Here’s what Wilson said about Lew:
"Bills center Connor McGovern is in the final year of his current deal, and if the team decides to move on, Connor Lew makes sense. He just turned 20 years old in September and already looks like a 10-year NFL veteran. He's a run-game technician who can also win with athleticism and power -- a rare player who reminds me of Zach Frazier coming out of West Virginia a few years ago."Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports
The comparison to Zach Frazier, who is a rising offensive lineman in this league is a little bit of an honor. For as inconsistent as the Steelers’ offensive line has been, Frazier has been solid early on in his career. Lew is a great run blocker and the idea of him in front of Josh Allen and James Cook is phenomenal.
If the Bills do decide to move on from McGovern, getting someone like Lew would be a bit of a rebuild in the trenches, but then it gives Lew time to develop and join an offense that is elite.