Connor McGovern will be running it back with the Bills.
He didn’t expect it. Earlier this week, McGovern expressed skepticism about sticking around.
“They haven’t contacted me once,” McGovern told Tim Graham of The Athletic. “In my gut, that says it’s over and done.”
Instead, the deal is done. Per multiple reports, the Bills and McGovern (No. 30 on the PFT list of top 100 free agents) have agreed on a new agreement. Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, it’s a four-year, $52 million contract with $32 million guaranteed. The $13 million annual average puts him at fourth among all centers. The top of the market is $18 million annually, set by Chiefs center Creed Humphrey.
The decision to stay put surely comes with full knowledge as to what else would have been available. Even though the negotiating window doesn’t open until Monday at noon ET, there’s been more than enough tampering for players to know their market. And the Bills had a reason to get something done before trying to get another starting center under contract once free agency opens.
A third-round pick of the Cowboys in 2019, McGovern signed with the Bills in 2023. He moved to center in 2024, after Mitch Morse was released.
The Bills confirmed the release of a pair of veterans on Friday afternoon and they also announced a pair of other cuts.
Safety Taylor Rapp and cornerback Dane Jackson joined cornerback Taron Johnson and wide receiver Curtis Samuel among the discards. The four moves cleared around $12 million in salary cap space heading into next week.
Rapp started the first six games of the 2025 season before going on injured reserve with a knee injury. He had 158 tackles, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 36 games over three seasons in Buffalo.
Jackson played three games in his return to the Bills. Jackson played his first four seasons for the team and returned for his sixth after being released by the Panthers following his only season in Carolina.
The Buffalo Bills will pay for their stadium with, among other things, Personal Seat Licenses. It’s a fancy term for paying for the right to pay for season tickets.
And Bills fans are paying big money for that privilege.
Via Michael Petro of the Buffalo News, the Bills have raised nearly $260 million in PSLs by selling more than 53,300 licenses. The total amount surpassed the stated goal of $225 million by 15 percent.
More than 1,300 PSLs remain available.
Obviously, $260 million is just a slice of the total price tag of $2.1 billion. But it’s better for those who will be using the facility to bear the cost of it than local taxpayers who’ll never attend a game there or watch one on TV.
The best outcome would be for the teams to pay for their own stadiums. As long, however, as someone else is willing to pay the bill, why not let them?
Buffalo is moving on from another one of its veteran players.
The Bills are releasing receiver Curtis Samuel, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Samuel, 29, had one year remaining on his contract with Buffalo. His release will create $6.06 million in cap savings with a $3.45 million dead cap charge.
Samuel appeared in 14 games with two starts in 2024, his first season with the club. But he played just six games in 2025, catching seven passes for 81 yards with one touchdown.
The Bills are revamping their receiving corps for 2026, having agreed to trade for DJ Moore earlier this week.
Buffalo is moving on from one of its veteran defenders.
According to multiple reports, the Bills are releasing cornerback Taron Johnson.
Johnson, 29, has spent his entire career with the Bills to this point, playing 113 games with 87 starts since the club selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. In 2025, he recorded 57 total tackles with four passes defensed in 13 contests. He was on the field for 74 percent of defensive snaps and four percent of special teams snaps in games played.
Johnson was under contract through 2027. He could be a candidate for a post-June 1 designation on his release, as without it, the Bills are set to save $1.9 million against the cap with a $9.5 million dead cap charge. With a post-June 1 designation, Johnson’s release will save $8.67 million against the cap with a $2.74 dead cap charge in 2026.
