Buffalo Bills GM reveals the philosophy behind latest deal

The Buffalo Bills have completed the re-signing of cornerback Christian Benford on a new four-year contract, tying his future to the franchise. Benford is the latest draft pick to be offered improved terms and that tactic has become a key part of the Bills’ plan for growth.

The 24-year-old was selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and he’s gone on to become a key piece for the team. He played in 15 regular season games in each of the past two years and was a starter in all four playoff games in that time.

Benford was entering the final year of his rookie deal and now signs a $76 million extension that keeps him with the team through the 2029 season. Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed the news on Saturday, saying that it was part of the front office’s plan to “draft, develop and re-sign” key talent.

“Love Christian and excited he’ll be back this season, and we’ll see if It works out now, later, down the road, to keep him here,” Beane explained earlier this month. “Which, again, you know by what I’ve always said, we want to draft, develop, and re-sign our own, and so excited that it will be here this year.”

Benford is now the third player drafted by the Bills at the 2022 NFL Draft to receive a four-year extension this offseason. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir and linebacker Terrel Bernard have also signed improved terms, while quarterback Josh Allen and Greg Rousseau were rewarded with extensions ahead of the 2025 season.

However that’s not to say that the Bills won’t be ambitious at this year’s NFL Draft. Buffalo has three picks in the top two rounds and are expecting to reinforce their defensive line. Beane has previously indicated that he wants multiskilled defensive options so don’t see surprised to see the Bills deviate from the obvious picks when it comes to the draft.

“We’ll definitely talk to some huge guys, and some guys are a little more undersized, but they’re excellent rushers. So you want different pieces for different guys,” Beane told reporters at the NFL Combine.

“You don’t want to always just be able to have run stuffers and nobody who can get to the quarterback. And you can’t just have a slew of guys that can’t stop the run when it’s December, it’s cold, it’s snowing, and guys are just going to line up in the backfield. So we want to be versatile with our skill sets and be able to attack in as many different ways as we can.”

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