On the first day of the legal tampering period, the Bills came to an agreement with two players, wideout Josh Palmer and edge rusher/defensive tackle/linebacker Michael Hoecht. Both players are coming from the west coast, but they get to join forces now with the MVP of the league in Josh Allen and join a win-now team.
Before free agency kicked off, the Bills were very busy extending within their building with players like Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard, Greg Rousseau, and giving Josh Allen a record-setting deal that gives him the most guaranteed money of all time ($250 million).
As we are in the second day of the legal tampering period, there has been continuous movement throughout the league about teams signing players, re-signing players, making releases, as well as trades. Phones were constantly going off with breaking news, but that’s what makes this time of year a lot of fun. Fans get a sense of how their favorite teams will look, as well as see how their bitter rivals might look as well.
If there is one thing about Brandon Beane that Bills fans know, he doesn’t make a lot of decisions recklessly and there are four players who received new contracts from teams that looked like it was a panic signing. We take a look at the four players that the Bills wisely avoided signing after seeing the reported contracts.
Who did the Bills wisely avoid signing?
DE Chase Young
Signed a 3 year, $51 million deal to return to the New Orleans Saints.
It’s been a little bit of a rough career for the former second-overall pick in 2020. After winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Chase Young hasn’t been the player that we all expected due to inconsistency and injuries. He was traded from Washington to San Francisco while still on his rookie deal, and then he signed with the Saints on a prove-it deal in 2024.
Now he has cashed in to rejoin the Saints on a big deal that is worth up to $57 million. That sure is a lot of money for someone who hasn’t had more than 7.5 sacks in a season and just played a full regular season for the first time in his career last season.
Young has a lot of potential, but the Bills don’t need to spend that kind of money on someone who has more upside rather than proven production.
DT Javon Kinlaw
Signed a 3 year deal worth up to $45 million with the Washington Commanders.
Javon Kinlaw has managed to stay healthy the last two seasons and the Washington Commanders must have really liked what they saw from him since they rewarded him with a three year deal worth $45 million. This is definitely an overpay on the Commanders part. Seeing general manager Adam Peters make this kind of move is very surprising.
Kinlaw just doesn’t have the kind of production that makes sense for him to get this kind of money. It looks like Washington panicked with this signing seeing as how they released Jonathan Allen.
CB Kristian Fulton
Signed a 2 year, $20 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cornerback Kristian Fulton is staying in the AFC West, but will be joining one of Buffalo’s biggest rivals; the Kansas City Chiefs. Fulton spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers and he signed with the Chiefs to a two-year deal worth $20 million.
You can make the argument that Fulton’s best season was last year and hence why he received the deal he got from Kansas City, but he’s got some issues staying healthy.
Not to mention, Fulton struggled last season down the stretch which may have hurt his chances of being re-signed by the Chargers. Even though the Bills need cornerback help, it’s perfectly fine for the Chiefs to take on this risky deal.
DE Josh Sweat
Signed a 4 year, $76.4 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
Josh Sweat was a solid player for the Philadelphia Eagles, but it wasn’t anything too special. He did perform well in the playoffs, but for the Cardinals to cough up this kind of money to him, having just one season of 10+ sacks is outrageous. One benefit that Sweat does have is that he will reunite with Jonathan Gannon, who was Sweat defensive coordinator with the Eagles before taking the Cardinals’ head coaching job.