One of the more interesting free agent periods the Buffalo Bills have endured in recent years got underway Monday, and over the past several days they have made key moves to address areas of need.
With the coaching change from Sean McDermott to Joe Brady, big changes have followed, particularly regarding the defense, and a new cache of players needed to be considered as defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard seeks to fill various holes.
But the Bills knew they couldn’t ignore offense, either, which is why they made the trade to acquire wide receiver DJ Moore to Buffalo, and made the important re-signing of center Connor McGovern.
We will be updating this story throughout the next few days so bookmark it. Here’s what has already happened.
Safety Geno Stone agrees to one-year deal
The Bills are signing veteran safety Geno Stone to a one-year deal, according to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz. Stone, 26, has 14 career interceptions and started 17 games in each of the past two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. His breakout year came in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens, when he intercepted seven passes, which tied for second-most in the NFL. Stone becomes the second safety Buffalo has added in free agency, joining C.J. Gardner-Johnson, as the Bills overhaul their secondary.
Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson signing one-year deal
Safety was a big concern going into the offseason because with the departures of Taylor Rapp, Jordan Poyer, Damar Hamlin and Cam Lewis, the only safeties on the roster who played at all in 2025 are starter Cole Bishop and 2025 rookie fifth-round pick Jordan Hancock.
The 28-year-old Gardner-Johnson is exactly the kind of player Brandon Beane needed to bring on, someone who can play free safety, but also give the Bills great flexibility. Last season he played snaps as a box safety, slot corner, free safety and even a few boundary corner snaps splitting time with the Texans and Bears. The Bears also liked to use him on the edge of the defensive line as a pass rusher.
In Houston last year, Gardner-Johnson – who played in two Super Bowls for the Eagles, winning one – suffered a knee injury early in training camp, and while he was able to return to action in time for the regular season, he played in only three games before the Texans released him.
He was signed to the Ravens practice squad but never got into a game, and eventually he was signed by the Bears and wound up starting seven of the 10 games he played for Chicago, plus one of its playoff games. With the Bears he was in on 51 tackles, had three sacks and forced a fumble.
Edge rusher Bradley Chubb signing with Bills
Bradley Chubb, released by the Miami Dolphins when the new league year opened at 4 p.m., is changing teams within the AFC East.
The initial report on the contract is three years at $43.5 million with the possibility of rising to $52 million, likely tied to incentives. There is $29 million in guaranteed money.
Chubb missed all of the 2024 season in Miami due to a torn ACL, then returned to start 17 games in 2025, registering 8.5 sacks, 48 QB pressures, two forced fumbles, one recovery and 47 tackles.
Edge rusher was clearly a priority for Buffalo, and that was apparent in the reported interest they showed in trying to land Trey Hendrickson who eventually signed with the Ravens.
Two Bills trades now official
As the 4 p.m. start of the new league arrived, the two trades the Bills agreed to in the past week were made official.
Wide receiver DJ Moore and the Bears’ fifth-round pick are now Buffalo’s property in exchange for a second-round pick. And slot corner Taron Johnson and one of the Bills’ seventh-round picks are gone to Las Vegas in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
As it stands now, the Bills have seven picks at their disposal. No. 26 (first), No. 91 (third), No. 126 (fourth), No. 165 from Chicago (fifth), No. 168 (fifth), No. 182 from Las Vegas (sixth) and No. 220.
Bills retaining RFA Ryan Van Demark
The Bills are electing to tender Van Demark at a cost of $3.5 million in the hopes of keeping him as a backup offensive tackle. It will be the right of first refusal level so if Van Demark gets an offer from another team, the Bills can match it.
At that price, it felt like the Bills might let Van Demark test the unrestricted market and then if nothing developed, get him back on something like a one-year, $2 million deal. But this would indicate the Bills saw that teams were interested in pursuing him on the open market, and they’ve invested three seasons developing him, so they’re protecting him, at least for now.
Again, if a team comes in with an offer that gets too costly, the Bills would probably back away.
Bills are about to be well under the cap
After all the erroneous numbers flying around Wednesday morning regarding Josh Allen’s contract conversion, the truth – as those of us who cover the team always knew – is that when the Bills did pull the lever on the quarterback’s restructure, it freed up around $12 million.
That, with the unknown savings they will realize by extending Dawson Knox’s contract Tuesday (that figure is still a mystery), likely has the Bills’ under the $301.2 million threshold which had to happen before 4 p.m. today. Once the league year opens, they will finalize the trade for receiver DJ Moore and then are expected to immediately re-do his contract to free up around $17 million, and that’s when you will probably see Brandon Beane take a swing in free agency.
Impatience is always prevalent in this negotiation window leading up to the start of free agency. Fans think their teams have to make all their moves right now, when in reality, free agency is open for the next several months and teams can make plenty of moves which don’t have to happen right now.
Bills lose versatile Cam Lewis to Bears
One of Buffalo’s longest tenured players is moving on as the Bears, reportedly on a two-year deal.
Lewis came out of the University at Buffalo and signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He did not get on the field that season, but he made the roster in 2020 and through the years became a versatile and valuable depth piece in Sean McDermott’s defense.
Lewis played slot corner, outside corner and safety at various times over the past six seasons – 76 games in all including 14 starts when other players were out with injuries. He finishes his time in Buffalo with 166 tackles, one interception and three forced fumbles.
Dawson Knox signs contract extension
The long-awaited decision on Dawson Knox was made Tuesday morning by the Buffalo Bills, and as expected the eighth-year tight end is staying with the team on a three-year extension.
There was never a doubt that Knox was coming back to Buffalo, as long as the Bills could lower his exorbitant $17 million salary cap hit, a number that was untenable for the cap-strapped Bills.
They did exactly that. Per Spotrac, his new deal is essentially a three-year, $20 million commitment with $10 million guaranteed. It lowers his cap hit in 2026 by more than $8 million to $8.5 million, and in 2027 he would count $9.6 million, far more palatable figures for the Bills to carry. Had the Bills just cut Knox this year, they would have only saved as additional $1.5 million from what he’s now costing, so this was definitely a good piece of business.
Tyler Bass agrees to pay cut
The Bills’ kicker missed all of 2025 with a pelvic injury that required surgery, and he was set to count $4.9 million on the cap in 2026. The Bills, desperately seeking to create cap space to get under the $301.2 million threshold by Wednesday, worked out a revision on his deal which creates $1.9.2 million in space while also guaranteeing Bass $1 million in guaranteed money, plus incentives which, if he reaches, can recoup the $1.5 million he’s giving up.
Bills to sign quarterback Kyle Allen
The Bills quickly filled their backup quarterback opening after Mitchell Trubisky left for the Tennessee Titans.
Buffalo is signing former Bills backup quarterback Kyle Allen to a two-year, $4.1 million contract worth up to $6.1 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Allen previously served as Josh Allen’s backup in 2023, appearing in seven games without attempting a pass. Kyle Allen and Josh Allen are close friends, and Buffalo has often kept backup quarterbacks with personal ties to its franchise quarterback.
Cornerback Dee Alford to sign with Bills
Reports indicate the Buffalo Bills are signing cornerback Dee Alford to a three-year contract worth up to $21 million which includes around $10.2 million guaranteed.
This would seem like the candidate to replace Taron Johnson in the slot as Alford played 366 of his 581 defensive snaps in the slot last year.
The 28-year-old Alford made an interception and a sack when the Falcons defeated the Bills last season in Week 6.
Guard David Edwards signing with Saints
As expected, the Bills are losing guard David Edwards as he is reportedly signing with the New Orleans Saints. The good news is that he’s moving to the NFC, unlike fullback Reggie Gilliam signing with the Patriots.
Edwards joined the Bills in 2023 and became a starter in 2024. He was a tremendous value player for Buffalo based on his previous earnings, a true hit of a free agent signing by Brandon Beane.
He was probably the most overlooked of Buffalo’s linemen, and he actually graded out better than right guard O’Cyrus Torrence. Among 36 guards who played at least 900 snaps, Edwards’ Pro Football Focus grade ranked 13th while Torrence’s ranked 26th. Spotrac has projected Edwards’ market value at around $20 million.
Bills losing FB Reggie Gilliam to Patriots
In a move that will be felt far more than some may believe, the Buffalo Bills are losing fullback/special teamer Reggie Gilliam to the arch-rival New England Patriots.
Gilliam has been a rock solid player since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He has been a core special teamer since Day 1, and this past season, he became more involved with the offense, playing 21% of the snaps as a blocking fullback.
Clearly, the Patriots saw the value in that because they’ve seen him twice a year and recognized what a good player Gilliam was.
Mitchell Trubisky leaving for Tennessee
The Bills will be in the market for a new backup quarterback as Mitchell Trubisky is reportedly signing a two-year deal to join old friend Brian Daboll with the Tennessee Titans.
Trubisky’s first term with the Bills was the one season he spent when Daboll was still the offensive coordinator in 2021. Daboll left in 2022 to become head coach of the New York Giants and Trubisky signed a two-year contract to become the starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Trubisky failed in that role and he returned to Buffalo in 2024 to reprise his role as Josh Allen’s backup, but now he’s moving on to Tennessee where he will back up the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick, Cam Ward, where Daboll is now the offensive coordinator under new head coach Robert Saleh.
Connor McGovern to return to the Bills
The Bills are reportedly set to bring back Connor McGovern on a four-year deal worth $52 million.
If the agreement that includes $32 million in guaranteed money happens, it is a smart play for Buffalo because McGovern has become one of the best centers in the league. He has a great chemistry with quarterback Josh Allen when it comes to snapping the ball, surging on the tush push, and being on the same page with the line adjustments that happen before almost every play.
Should the Bills target these free agents?
What is the NFL salary cap for 2026?
The NFL announced the 2026 salary cap will be $301.2 million, a $22 million increase from 2025.
All teams must be under the salary cap by 4 p.m. on March 11, meaning the contracts of their top 51 players plus any dead money must fall under $301.2 million. The deadline can lead to a wave of roster moves leading up to free agency, with teams releasing players and restructuring contracts to get cap compliant.
How much salary cap space to the Bills have?
The Bills are estimated to be $12.9 over the salary cap as of Monday morning, according to Over The Cap.
Bills 2026 draft picks
The Bills made two trades involving draft picks in the week leading up to free agency.
Buffalo currently has seven selections in the 2026 draft:
Buffalo Bills news
Buffalo Bills players set to be free agents
Here are the Bills free agents. Buffalo has already re-signed center Connor McGovern, safety Sam Franklin Jr., defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis, quarterback Shane Buechele and offensive tackle Alec Anderson.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Restricted Free Agents
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 36 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills free agent tracker with updated signing, contract details
Reporting by Sal Maiorana and Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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