Defending AFC East champion Bills get positive one-word evaluation for 2025 offseason

The Buffalo Bills have captured every AFC East title this decade, and the Super Bowl contender has an eye on the future.

Dec 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Back in 2023, Sean McDermott’s club was feeling the heat from an AFC East rival. The Buffalo Bills wound up splitting their first 12 games, while the Miami Dolphins got off to a 9-3 start. Then, the team got hot and ran the table. They eventually knocked off the Dolphins in Miami in Week 18 to win another division title. There was a playoff win over the Steelers, then another heartbreaking postseason loss to the eventual Super Bowl LVIII champion Chiefs—this time at home in the divisional round.

The Bills entered the 2024 offseason with plenty of salary-cap issues to deal with. General manager Brandon Beane did his due diligence and when the smoke cleared, there was a two-game improvement (13-4), a fifth-straight AFC East title, and the club’s first AFC title game appearance since 2020. Unfortunately, 2024 ended like 2020, with a loss to the Chiefs at Kansas City.

Beane once again had some work to do this offseason in terms of the cap, and the Bills are currently under the number. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report gave each team one-word in describing the club’s offseason to date. When it came to the Bills, Gagnon chose “forward thinking,” and it’s hard to argue that description. “With new deals for Josh Allen, Greg Rousseau, Khalil Shakir and Terrel Bernard,” explained Gagnon, “the Bills core is locked up for many years to come.”

Obviously, Allen’s deal opened a lot of eyes given the numbers.

A new NFL mark: the Bills and Josh Allen reached agreement on a new record-setting six-year, $330 million contract that includes $250 million guaranteed, the largest guarantee ever given to an NFL player, sources tell ESPN.

Allen had four years left on his deal, but the Bills… pic.twitter.com/HVImHRv7TB

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2025

The numbers are pretty impressive as well for Rousseau, Shakir, and Bernard (all via Spotrac). As for offseason additions this year, the team added pass-rusher Joey Bosa via a one-year deal. Meanwhile, Beane has 10 picks in April’s draft, including a pair of choices in the second, fourth, and sixth-rounders, and three picks in the fifth round.

RELATED: Bills receive high grade for Brandon Beane's impactful free agency activity

The Bills were the only team in the AFC East to finish with a winning record this past season. The Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and New England Patriots are all busy trying to put the pieces back together. It looks like business as usual for a franchise with one of the league’s business models.

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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