The Buffalo Bills and cornerback Christian Benford recently agreed to a four-year contract extension with a base value of $69 million.
The Bills' number one corner is now under contract until 2029.
The team was relieved to be able to lock down a cornerstone of their defense, and Benford was thrilled to be able to stay in Buffalo long term.
"It's a life-changing moment, let's be for real," Benford said in his post-extension press conference. "All it takes is one person to believe in you... it means a lot."
After signing a long-term extension, Benford's goals that he has set out to accomplish in the league remain the same.
“This is probably just something else that I just put in the bucket,” Benford said. “... My drive... to be the best in the league. It don’t change nothing. I don’t feel different. My mindset is still the same. Get to the Super Bowl... be the best in the league.”
Benford, a sixth-round pick in 2022, has made the most of his opportunities on the field. He has started 34 games over his first three seasons, intercepting five passes and recording 25 passes defensed. In 2024, Benford allowed just .51 yards per coverage snap, which ranked number one in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.
Now, he'll reap the benefits of his consistency and drive with a flashy new contract. It's a win-win for the player and the franchise. It's life-changing money for the 25-year-old, yet it's still below market value for top cornerbacks around the league.
Benford's new contract averages $17.25 million annually, which makes him the 19th-highest paid corner in the NFL according to Over the Cap. The extension came just weeks after the Panthers' Jaycee Horn ($25M per year) and the Texans' Derek Stingley Jr. ($30M per year) reset the growing cornerback contract market with massive extensions.
Benford's cap hits over the next five years will be: 2025, $2.6M; 2026, $7.4M; 2027, $19.4M; 2028, $20.1M; 2029, $20.4M.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane was able to retain one of his own draft picks and do it by getting ahead of the curve. The contracts for cornerbacks will continue to go up and Benford's contract is already looking team-friendly even before the market spikes again.
"Glad to get Christian done," Beane said following the extension. "... Came to a place that both sides thought was fair, and so excited to extend him with all the other guys that we've been able to get done."
Benford was seemingly the last big piece of the pie to be taken care of this offseason for Beane, who has been a busy man. He signed four other Bills players to long-term contract extensions this offseason, including Josh Allen, Khalil Shakir, Greg Rousseau, and Terrel Bernard. With CB1 taken care of, the Bills can now look to address other areas of the roster.
"Once we got Benford done, I don't see us doing any deals anytime soon," Beane said. "We're gonna focus on the draft and getting our cap in order."
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire:
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