Buffalo Bills: 3 free agents who will outplay their contracts in 2024
By Joe Cook
The 2024 offseason is one that snuck up on Buffalo Bills’ fans. It featured many turnovers on their roster that had become a staple of people’s lives throughout the last couple of years. Big names like Jordan Poyer, Stefon Diggs, and Micah Hyde (as of now) are no longer in Western New York.
A youth movement, mixed in with some new veteran faces, will fill out the roster. Fans can expect these three free-agent signings to outplay their contracts in 2024.
Marquez Valdez Scantling
It came only a few weeks ago, but the Marquez Valdez-Scantling signing could possibly have the biggest impact on the team. It kind of has that same late-in-the-off-season sneaky good pickup feeling that the Leonard Floyd signing did last summer. He signed a 1-year $2.25 million deal to play in Buffalo this season.
Immediately, MVS makes the Bills receiver room more dynamic and gives them a skill set they don’t have. He brings speed and deep-threat capabilities, which will pair up well with star quarterback Josh Allen; much similar to what we saw out of MVS and Mahomes. The Bills haven’t had a true deep threat since John Brown, even though they employ the quarterback with the strongest arm in the NFL as Gabe Davis filled that role over the years inconsistently.
MVS will also bring veteran leadership to a fairly young receiver room. Along with that, he also brings championship experience, having won the Superbowl the last two seasons. While he has had some issues with drops in the regular season, he always flips a switch in the playoffs and is a big factor. It’s something the Bills haven’t had outside of Josh Allen in big games.
During the Chiefs playoff run last season, MVS caught eight passes for 128 yards, one touchdown, and five first downs. In his last three playoff runs, which include two with the Chiefs and one with the Packers, he’s posted 24 catches, 398 yards, and four touchdowns, with 19 first downs. He should easily outplay his current deal.