Bills Key Starter All But Confirms Departure Entering Free Agency

The Buffalo Bills could end up with multiple openings on the offensive line this year.

Buffalo Bills center Connor McGovern looks on before an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup against Jacksonville. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With NFL free agency just days away, the Buffalo Bills appear set to allow their top free agents to test the open market.

That includes two of their starting offensive linemen. Both left guard David Edwards and center Connor McGovern are no longer under contract and McGovern believes his time in Buffalo is over.

McGovern spoke with The Athletic’s Tim Graham and said that he hasn’t heard from Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane since his exit interview following their playoff loss to the Denver Broncos.

“They haven’t contacted me once,” McGovern said by phone from his offseason home in Florida via Graham. “In my gut, that says it’s over and done.”

McGovern isn’t bitter about the lack of communication, saying that he understands it’s a business. He expressed a desire to return to Buffalo, but added that he has to be realistic, especially since the salary cap situation is a concern.

“It is a business. I’m never going to take it personally. I want to be back in Buffalo, and I know they want me back. But sometimes you’ve got to look in the mirror and be realistic,” McGovern said.

“Could we sacrifice money at one spot or maybe draft somebody younger to save some money? The reality is they’re up against the cap.”

It’s not all about money for Connor McGovern

Buffalo Bills center Connor McGovern enters the field before a game against the Baltimore Ravens. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

McGovern admitted that money is a driving force, but it’s not about making all he can. Instead, he said there’s a respect factor, adding that he has a number in his head that he would take from Buffalo to avoid free agency.

“There’s a certain number in my head that I would have no problem accepting, and then I don’t need to go to free agency. If they come to the number that me and my wife are comfortable with, I would gladly say yes and not talk to anybody else.”

Following a stellar career at Penn State, McGovern was a third-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. He missed his entire rookie season with a torn pectoral muscle. Once he was healthy, McGovern played guard for three seasons and was a full-time starter in 2022.

His performance with the Cowboys led to a three-year deal with the Bills in 2023. Initially a starting guard, McGovern has been the starting center for the past two seasons with the Bills.

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