By Jeff Howe, Joe Buscaglia and Cale Clinton
The Buffalo Bills have agreed to a four-year, $50 million extension with linebacker Terrel Bernard, according to league sources. The deal, which includes $25.2 million guaranteed, will keep Bernard in Buffalo through the 2029 season.
Drafted by the Bills with the 89th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Bernard played mostly special teams in his rookie season before taking on a major role in 2023. The linebacker played just under 1,000 defensive snaps in his sophomore season, starting all 17 games while leading the team with 143 combined tackles and 84 solo tackles. Bernard also had the second-most interceptions in the team (3) and third-most tackles for loss (10), along with 6.5 sacks.
At just 25 years old, Bernard has already made himself a leader on the Bills. He was awarded one of just two team captain positions alongside Josh Allen this season. While missing several games due to injury, Bernard was one of just two players on the Bills with at least 100 tackles this past season. He also recorded an interception, three pass breakups, five tackles for loss and a sack.
Bills continue to pay their young stars
Bernard took over the starting middle linebacker role in 2023 after Tremaine Edmunds left in free agency that offseason and burst onto the scene. Bernard compiled several flash plays and helped force turnovers, establishing his importance within the organization without delay. The 2022 third-round pick went on to be named the lone defensive captain for the 2024 season, a role he’s expected to carry now for the long term. Head coach Sean McDermott has lauded Bernard for his leadership, so it was extremely clear that the Bills viewed him as a core piece moving forward if the money made sense.
There is still room for improvement with Bernard, too. His run defending was a bit inconsistent early on as a starter, though it improved, specifically near the end of the 2024 season.
One of the biggest points of emphasis for getting Bernard to agree to a long-term contract is because longtime starting outside linebacker Matt Milano is likely nearing the end of his tenure with the Bills in the next year or two. Milano is signed through the 2026 season, though he turns 31 in July and has endured multiple long-term injuries throughout his career. Milano returned from an August torn biceps injury in December and started to look more like his pre-injury self with the more reps he took. However, 2025 could be Milano’s last year with the Bills, as they could release him next offseason and save over $5 million on the 2026 salary cap. With all that uncertainty, having Bernard in place for one of their two key linebacker positions was critical to them.
Bernard’s new contract terms has him, on average, making $12.5 million per season, which is now tied for the sixth-highest contract for an off-ball linebacker. Although it’s a higher figure relative to his position, it’s still well below the deal Edmunds signed with the Bears in 2023 and nowhere near Baltimore’s Roquan Smith ($20 million APY) at the top of the market. However, some of Bernard’s total figure could have some performance incentives that wouldn’t immediately impact the cap hits, which would then drive the APY down once the deal is signed. That was the case with wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who signed a contract extension recently. Originally reported with an APY of just a shade over $15 million, the contract came down to $13.25 million once the full details came out a few days later. The details of Bernard’s deal will be very important for a Bills team that is routinely close to the salary cap with a franchise quarterback signed on a massive contract.
The two most significant moves of the Bills offseason thus far have been to extend two players who wouldn’t have hit free agency until 2026. First, it was Shakir, and now it’s Bernard, with both now under contract for the next five seasons. Getting the 2026 class of free agents was a pressing issue for the Bills, given that they had seven starting players with expiring contracts — Shakir, Bernard, cornerback Christian Benford, defensive end Greg Rousseau, running back James Cook, center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards. It would not be a surprise if the Bills continued to attack this list of key starters in setting up the franchise with their core starters through the remainder of Josh Allen’s prime. — Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat writer
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(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
