In March of this year, the Buffalo Bills rewarded star cornerback Christian Benford with a huge contract extension, and it looks better every day. Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys extended their own top cornerback, DaRon Bland, to an extension of his own, per Ian Rapoport.
The comparisons serve as yet another reminder that this iteration of the Bills' front office is highly competent. Brandon Beane knows how, and when, to get it done.
Christian Benford extension looks like a major steal for Bills
The AAV breakdown
Christian Benford's contract keeps him under contract for four more seasons, and added a total of $69m in new money to his deal. That's an average annual value (AAV) of only $17.25m. It's just the 19th-biggest annual evaluation at the position league-wide, a far mark below where Benford's play would rank him.
Dallas Cowboys CB DaRon Bland, however, just secured an absolute blockbuster. His new deal, also for four new seasons, is a shocking $92m. The AAV on that ranks out at $23m per season. It is a contract so large as to be unwieldy. It's also a massive surprise, considering the Cowboys' bizarre move to send Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers instead of paying him.
Not to discredit DaRon Bland, who's play has been exemplary, but his contract makes him the sixth-highest paid cornerback in the NFL, per Bobby Kownack. For comparison: Patrick Surtain II, arguably the best CB in the NFL today, is paid just $1 million more each season than Bland now earns. The market for cornerbacks is not cheap, but Benford is beginning to look like the best contract of the NFL offseason.
A score at cornerback
Of the 19 cornerback contracts that have a higher AAV than Christian Benford's deal, nine of them were signed this offseason. This is indicative of just how critical early action is to the Bills salary cap structure. Brandon Beane has acted quickly on contract countless times in recent years, and nearly every move results in long-term dividends. The Buffalo Bills benefit massively from their early signings of crucial players like Christian Benford, and many more.