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Alaina Getzenberg
Buffalo, Ny-Los Bills continued their philosophy and their low season tendency to sign their own draft selections to long-term extensions, agreeing with terms with the corner Christian Benford in an extension of the contract of four years and $ 76 million, its agents, Hadley Engelhard and Jim Ulrich of Enterrsports Management, they told Adam Schefter of ESPN on Saturday.
Benford, 24, was entering the last year of his rookie agreement and will now be under contract until season 2029. The agreement is the last in the Bills prioritization retention players who have become headlines before they become free agents: “Draft, develop and sign again,” as the General Manager Brandon Beane says.
The selection of the sixth Round of Villanova becomes the third member of the 2022 Bills Draft class to sign an extension of four years in this low season, joining the open receiver Khalil Shakir and supporter Terrel Bernard. The Bills have also signed the defensive wing Greg Rousseau (four years) and the Marshal of Campo Josh Allen (six years) to extensions this low season.
“I love Christian and excited to return this season, and we will see if it works now, later, in the future, to keep it here,” Beane said earlier this month. “Which, again, you know for what I have always said, we want to write, develop and sign ours again, and so excited that it will be here this year, especially knowing … we are thin in the position at this time.”
Benford has been a clear headline for the team in the last two seasons: he started five games as the Bills resolved the initial situation in his rookie year. Then he took a step forward in 2024 and has become the number 1 corner of the team. Benford has 34 regular season openings in three seasons and has published 5 interceptions, 25 defenced passes and 4 forced loose balls and two loose ball recoveries.
The average annual value of the New Deal alone puts the average annual value of Benford tied in 13º among the corners.
Benford’s firm in part addresses the largest position of the team in the external corner for the future. However, there is no clear opener against Benford on the list with the draft less than a month after Rasul Douglas became a free agent this low season. In terms of depth in the position, the team changed Kaiir Elam of the first round of 2022 to the Dallas Cowboys this month and brought Dane Jackson.
The remaining interrogation sign among possible extension candidates for Bills is the runner of the second round of 2022, James Cook.
