One crucial decision that the Buffalo Bills will have to make next offseason is whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option of Dalton Kincaid’s rookie contract. The Bills didn’t just draft Kincaid back in 2023, they traded up for him. It’s one thing to draft a player, it’s another thing to trade away assets to acquire a player. Has Kincaid given the Bills the investment back to them as of now? No, absolutely not.
He started out strong his rookie season with 673 yards, but only had 2 touchdowns. Last season, Kincaid had a knee injury that he suffered which limited him to just 448 yards and 2 touchdowns. Through just four games this season, Kincaid is on pace to having himself a career year at a crucial moment.
Yesterday against the New Orleans Saints, he only had one catch off of two targets but he took advantage of that catch by scoring a 28-yard touchdown that helped the Bills break the one-score game. Without that touchdown, who knows if the Bills would have won the game.
This season, Kincaid has recorded 14 receptions for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns. His 3 scores is already a career best. At this point last season, Kincaid had just 132 yards and one score. He’s not the go-to guy for Josh Allen, but Kincaid has become a bit of a safety valve for the offense and if he continues to put up numbers and make plays, the Bills may have to make a tough decision on whether or not to pick up the extra year of his rookie deal.
Dalton Kincaid could put Bills in tough contract decision next offseason
Now, I’m not saying that Kincaid has done enough to have a long-term future as a member for the Bills because quite frankly, he hasn’t. He has not lived up to a first rounder expectation, especially being a player that Buffalo traded up for.
At the same time, he’s already on pace to having his best season as a Bills. You also have to consider Dawson Knox’s future, and whether or not the Bills could develop Jackson Hawes into a receiving tight end, something that he was not in college at Georgia Tech.
The Bills still have plenty of time to evaluate Kincaid and see whether or not they could use him for the long haul. However, the decision will have to come sooner than later. Kincaid has lots of football to play and he will be looking to prove that he deserves a second contract from the Bills.