Ed Oliver Named Bills' Most Overpaid Player Post-2026 Free Agency

Selected at No. 9 overall out of Houston in 2019, Ed Oliver has been a fixture in the middle of the Buffalo Bills' defensive line for seven years now.

He's been a difference-maker as an interior pass rusher with 243 tackles and 30 sacks in 95 career games. This past season, however, Oliver struggled to stay on the field.

An ankle injury suffered in practice ahead of Week 2 forced Oliver to miss four games. He returned in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons but played in just two more games before suffering a torn biceps tendon in Week 8. He was sent to the IR and finished the regular season with 12 tackles and three sacks in three games.

Oliver worked hard to get back for the playoffs, and was activated ahead of their Divisional Round game against the Denver Broncos. He played in 22 snaps and didn't record a tackle, but his return was impressive given the severity of his injury.

Despite the success he had when he was on the field, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon said Oliver is the most overpaid player on the Bills' roster. According to Gagnon, he edges out Greg Rousseau while calling him a good player, but not a great one.

"It was a toss-up between Oliver and Greg Rousseau, neither of whom has lived up to hefty contracts. Oliver is a 28-year-old zero-time Pro Bowler who missed almost the entire 2025 season but has a $17 million average annual value, while Rousseau is a good-not-great edge who has never registered more than eight sacks in his five NFL seasons but makes $20 million a year."

Is Ed Oliver truly overpaid?

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver reacts after a sack in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Oliver signed a four-year, $68 million contract extension in 2023, which is where Gagnon gets his $17 million annual average. That said, Oliver's contract was restructured this offseason, which converted more than $12.8 million into a signing bonus.

This dropped his cap hit significantly, with his number going from roughly $24 million to $13.66 million. It does add some void years, which helps spread out his salary, and Oliver is still third on the team in terms of cap number this season.

That said, his salary is still significantly lower than deals signed by players such as Milton Williams (four years, $104 million with the Patriots in 2025) and Osa Odighizuwa (four years, $80 million with the Cowboys in 2025).

There's some concern now since Oliver has missed time in each of the past two seasons, but he doesn't have a long history of injuries and if he stays healthy, his salary will be rather fair.

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