Just two days away from the NFL’s legal tampering period opening up, the Buffalo Bills acted fast to make sure that one of their key pending free agents didn’t talk to other teams. Ian Rapoport reported that the Bills were set to close in on a four-year deal to bring center Connor McGovern back to Buffalo.
Adam Schefter then reported the agreed terms, as McGovern gets a four-year deal worth $52 million and $32 million guaranteed. The Bills get their starting center back and now they will have him and backup center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger for atleast two more seasons together. Brandon Beane deserves a lot of credit for getting this deal done.
While the Bills might be losing left guard David Edwards to free agency, signing McGovern is the better option as he is the anchor to the offensive line. He was brought to Buffalo back in 2023 where he started out as a guard, but would then be moved to center once Mitch Morse was released in 2024.
Bills just made Josh Allen biggest winner from Connor McGovern re-signing
For the past two seasons, McGovern has been one of the best pass protecting centers for Josh Allen and because of that, it has allowed Allen to step back in the pocket and make better plays either on or off script. McGovern is an important factor to the offense’s success not just because of his protection abilities, but also communicating at the line of scrimmage right before the play begins.
With Buffalo having a tight salary cap situation, there were talks about Pran-Granger potentially stepping in as the new center for the offensive line. Pran-Granger was solid at Georgia but he has not had any serious playing time in the NFL. With the Bills going into the Joe Brady era, they get to keep their continuity upfront for the most part. Not to mention, the Bills also brought back Alec Anderson who can play anywhere on the line.
While McGovern is obviously a winner as he gets a new deal, it is Allen who will benefit the most. He and McGovern have been a duo the last two seasons, and he is well protected when McGovern is on the field.
This is a fantastic move by the Bills. They keep one of the league’s best centers who has been with the best quarterback, and it didn’t cost them as much as most people would have thought. A slam dunk move by Beane and the Bills.