Bills Central

Buffalo Bills Sign WR and QB Weeks Ahead of Free Agency

The Bills are already making moves days after the Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Jalen Virgil rotates to another part of the field during the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on July 24, 2025.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Jalen Virgil rotates to another part of the field during the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on July 24, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 season is barely behind us, and the Buffalo Bills are already making moves.

According to the NFL’s transaction memo, the Bills signed wide receiver Jalen Virgil and quarterback Shane Buechele to reserve/future contracts on Tuesday, as both players will now make their return to Buffalo.

RELATED: Four Buffalo Bills Players Entering Make-or-Break Offseason

Shane Buechele
Buffalo Bills quarterback Shane Buechele (6) drops back to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Welcome home

Virgil was initially signed to the team’s practice squad in August 2024 and appeared in seven games for the Bills during that season. The team signed him to a reserve/future contract for the 2025 season, but he was later released in August and signed to the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad in November.

Virgil is 27 years old and has been in the league since he was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

Buechele spent the majority of the 2025 season with the Bills, but the Kansas City Chiefs signed him off the team’s practice squad in late December due to mounting injuries at the quarterback position. He appeared in one game for the Chiefs, completing 7 of 14 passes for 88 yards.

Bills backup QB Mitch Trubisky is a free agent this offseason and is projected to make $4.4 million on the open market, per Spotrac. There’s a chance the Bills will elect to go with the less expensive option in Buechele, who is 28 years old and entering his sixth NFL season.

MORE: Three Exciting Buffalo Bills' Trade Possibilities Entering 2026 Offseason

Jalen Virgil
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Jalen Virgil (13) runs with the ball during Minicamp at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Looking elsewhere

Other key free agents for the Bills this offseason include center Connor McGovern, guard David Edwards, edge rusher Joey Bosa, linebacker Matt Milano and fullback Reggie Gilliam, among others. The NFL’s new league year is set to begin on March 11, when free agency will officially open.

Shane Buechele
Buffalo Bills quarterback Shane Buechele (6) throws the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Published
Alex Brasky
ALEX BRASKY

Alex Brasky is editor of Bills Digest and host of the Buffalo Pregame podcast. He has been on the Bills beat the past six seasons and now joins ON SI to expand his coverage of Buffalo’s favorite football team.

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