The Buffalo Bills and tight end Dawson Knox went into the offseason knowing that his contract could not remain as is for the relationship to continue. Bills president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane basically outright admitted it at the 2026 NFL combine.
“We’d be crazy not to want a Dawson Knox back,” Beane said of the situation. “We know we have to make it work for him and work for us.”
That’s just what happened: the Bills and Knox have extended their relationship into the 2028 season with a brand-new three-year contract, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Knox was heading into the final year of his deal with the Bills, owed $12 million in new money while carrying a cap hit of over $17 million. The Bills were cap-strapped on Tuesday and trying to get compliant before the start of the new league year on Wednesday. The new contract is likely to yield substantial savings for the Bills to conduct more free-agent business.
Knox has been with the Bills since being drafted in 2019 and has become a dependable player and a locker room leader. He also has one of the closest relationships with star quarterback Josh Allen. Knox turns 30 in November.
Even with the tight end tandem of Dalton Kincaid and Jackson Hawes in-house, neither of them has the balanced skill set that Knox provides. Kincaid is an excellent pass-catcher, while his blocking leaves a bit to be desired, and Hawes is the opposite. Knox isn’t a star at either pass-catching or blocking, but he provides a great blend of both, which usually yields a considerable amount of time on the field during games in their tight end rotation. They also trust Knox implicitly in big-game situations.
Before the new deal with Knox, the Bills were over the 2026 salary cap by a little over $12 million. Part of the strain was that they had to fit new receiver DJ Moore’s contract, as is, onto their cap sheet when the trade is finalized when the new league year begins, and Moore’s 2026 cap hit stands at $24.5 million. Once added, the Bills can restructure Moore’s deal to create more cap space.
The Bills have already done a considerable amount of cap clearing, restructuring the deals of right tackle Spencer Brown, defensive tackle Ed Oliver, negotiating a pay cut with kicker Tyler Bass, trading nickel Taron Johnson to the Las Vegas Raiders and cutting wide receiver Curtis Samuel, safety Taylor Rapp and cornerback Dane Jackson. The Bills can still do a simple restructure of Allen’s contract, which would yield savings of up to $12.56 million.