The Buffalo Bills spent a first-round draft pick on DE Greg Rousseau back in 2021, and now he's here to stay. Per Adam Schefter, the team signed Rousseau to a four-year extension worth $80m, keeping him in Bills blue through the 2029 season.
In a transitional period for Buffalo, they've committed to signing their own guys first before pursuing players outside the organization. It's a point of credit, and one that doesn't go unnoticed by those outside One Bills Drive.
Homegrown talent
The extension earns Rousseau $20m per season, with $54m guaranteed, and helps anchor the Buffalo Bills defensive line as they lean towards a departure from DE Von Miller. It's the second major extension handed out by the Bills in 27 hours, and their third of the offseason. WR Khalil Shakir and LB Terrel Bernard are the other beneficiaries. Buffalo has secured key positions with young, home-grown talent prior to free agency. The lone players remaining on their to-do list are RB James Cook and CB Christian Benford.
Rousseau was a physical nightmare coming out of college, but had only one season of college ball playing the position. As is common with the Buffalo Bills, they leaned on traits they liked and were willing to coach up the young athlete.
Following an on-and-off first two seasons, Rousseau has been productive defending against the run, and has a fair share of big-plays to keep name in lights. His growth has been monumental, and he continues to improve year-after-year.
Now, after four seasons in the NFL, Greg Rousseau has done well for himself. Coming off an 8 sack season, with 16 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and three passes defended, he's versatile and effective. If Buffalo continues to make moves this offseason, such as trading for DE Myles Garrett, Rousseau could see a bump in his production yet again.
Money vs. market
Whilst significant, the money in this deal makes Rousseau only the 21st-highest paid defensive lineman in the NFL. If Von Miller is truly leaving the team, as is rumoured, this is smart money by the team.
As the market explodes in a year with a $23.8m salary cap bump, Buffalo has beaten other teams to the punch with an early extension again. Every one of these deals are valued well against the projected growth of player contracts over the next two seasons. Credit to Brandon Beane, ever the early bird, as he has excelled at getting the worm.