The Buffalo Bills held on to Ed Oliver for a while.
The former first-round pick agreed to a 4-year, $68 million contract extension with $45 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. The deal will keep Oliver in Buffalo through the 2027 season.
Oliver was previously set for free agency after this upcoming season, where he is under contract with a $10.8 million salary through a fifth-year option on this rookie deal. Per OverTheCap, the $17 million average annual value of his new deal will tie him with Arik Armstead of the San Francisco 49ers for 13th among defensive tackles, a position that has seen a lucrative offseason.
Oliver has been a solid presence for the Bills’ defensive line over the past four years, though perhaps not the dominant presence some expected when he was a top draft prospect in Houston. The Bills selected him ninth overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The 25-year-old didn’t make a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro team, but he did post 151 tackles, 30 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks in his career.
The Bills are also under significant pressure to get at least one quality defensive tackle signed long term, as the team has no defensive linemen under contract after this year. It’s something general manager Brandon Beane knows all too well, via ESPN:
“I want not to end the season and be zero [defensive tackles under contract in 2024],” Beane said during the team’s rookie minicamp. “That’s my hope. But it should make sense. If someone is here, right now, it should make sense to make an extension to any of those guys, so we’ll see. You know me. We’ve seen a way to sometimes do an extension or two in training camp, so maybe we’ll look at it at that point, see where the guys are, who everyone is, who’s looking good. , and if there’s an opportunity to get one extended, maybe we’ll look at doing that.”
Between his age and production, Oliver is the clear top choice among the team’s players currently under contract.
