2 Buffalo Bills extension candidates in 2024

Defensive end Greg Rousseau

The 2021 first-round pick looked to have an auspicious start to his career. Rousseau totaled eight sacks in 2022, benefiting from having Von Miller on the other side of the line. However, that didn’t last very long as Rousseau would only total five sacks the following year in 2023. 

The Bills picked up Rousseau’s fifth-year option back in April that pays him $13.4M in 2025. The Bills have faith in their young pass rusher, and paying him now gives both sides a sense of security for the future. Von Miller won't be a Bill forever, or even past the 2024 season. That’s a big blow to the pass rush unit, meaning the Bills can’t afford to lose two edge rushers in a short period of time. The Bills' future is A.J. Epenesa and Greg Rousseau. Epenesa just got paid this off-season, and now Rousseau is hoping it’s his turn soon. 

The Bills started the process of building towards the future in the last few months. Keeping Rousseau in the mix for the foreseeable future is the next step in doing so. Rousseau is still only 24 years old and has some growing to do before he becomes a great pass rusher. We’ve seen glimpses of it, but he hasn’t shown it consistently yet. With Von Miller back in the mix and attention going away from “Groot” as he’s called, we should see a new and improved Rousseau in 2024 and beyond.