Memo to Buffalo Bills fans who make the pre-game walk toward Highmark Stadium and cheer for defensive tackle Ed Oliver as he drives by: He has heard you and will continue to hear you.
“I feel comfortable here, I love it here, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Oliver said Tuesday, a day after signing a four-year, $68 million contract extension ($45 million guaranteed). “I wouldn’t want any (other) fan base than ours. When you’re driving down Big Tree (Road) and people kind of know your car and you’re driving by, they go, ‘Let’s go, Ed,’ that’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before.”
The extension allows the Bills to spread out some of the money Oliver was due this season – $10.753 million – to make cap space.
The ninth overall draft pick in 2019, Oliver will continue to bask in that scene for several more years.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said that as talks with Oliver’s camp started “a little bit” last summer and earlier this offseason, he delivered a message directly to Oliver.
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“I just said, ‘Listen, I’m going to get through the draft and after that, we’ll take a look and see where we’re at, what money we have left and if we can get on the same page, we think your best football is ahead of him,’ ” Beane said.
"The bottom line: Oliver gets his money and the Bills have at least one defensive tackle under contract for 2024. Let’s see if Oliver answers the responsibility of the windfall by providing more impact plays," writes Ryan O'Halloran.
Oliver agreed to terms Saturday night, celebrating with his family. By Monday morning, he was back at the Bills’ facility to sign the deal. By Tuesday afternoon, he was on the practice field for the Bills’ organized team activity workout.
“It’s still surreal,” he said. “Signing again, it’s kind of a blur. They presented the deal to me and I liked it, and it didn’t matter if it was now or during the season. It’s out of the way now. I can go play football and do what we’ve all come here to do: Put hardware on our fingers.”
Oliver is now a part of the long-term core in pursuit of the Bills’ first Super Bowl title.
“(Defensive tackle) is a premium position in our league, and they’re hard to find, especially if you’re having the success we have and where we draft (late in the first round),” Beane said.
A league source provided the 17-page contract to The Buffalo News. Year-by-year details:
Oliver, 25, was the ninth overall pick of the Bills in the 2019 draft. His extension keeps him with the Bills through the 2027 season and gives the team some long-term security at defensive tackle.
This year: Salary cap hit of $4.978 million (down from $10.753 million) and base salary of $2,028,000.
2024: Cap hit of $9.175 million and base salary of $14.75 million. Immediately guaranteed is $7.75 million of the base salary; the remaining $7 million will become guaranteed a day after the February 2024 Super Bowl.
2025: Cap hit of $20.675 million and base salary of $14.75 million, $8.25 million of which is guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year. The remainder is guaranteed on the fifth day of the ’25 league year.
2026: Cap hit of $21.05 million and base salary of $13.75 million. An option bonus of $12.5 million must be exercised in the first seven days of the ’24 league year.
2027: Cap hit of $22.575 million, base salary of $14.4 million and roster bonus of $1.25 million.
The Bills’ defense, in their current form, shouldn’t expect Oliver to be a 10-sack, 60-tackle player. But they should expect him to be more of a difference maker, O'Halloran says.
From 2024-27, Oliver’s cap charge will include an annual $6.075 million signing bonus and $500,000 roster bonus. From 2024-26, Oliver can earn $7.225 million annually via roster bonuses ($425,000 per game).
“(The contract) had to make sense for Ed and it had to make sense for us, and I think, in the end, we found the right deal,” Beane said.
The contract is worth a maximum of $71.5 million.
“There’s no more worrying. I know all my family and future kids are taken care of (financially). I know my (parents) are taken care of. My brothers and sisters are taken care of,” Oliver said.
Oliver is the eighth player from his first-round draft class to sign a new contract, joining quarterbacks Kyler Murray (Arizona) and Daniel Jones (New York Giants), defensive linemen Montez Sweat (Washington), Dexter Lawrence (Giants) and Jeffery Simmons (Tennessee) and Atlanta offensive linemen Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary.
Oliver, 26, has played 62 of a possible 65 games (53 starts) for the Bills, posting totals of 14 1/2 sacks and 151 tackles. He has two sacks and 21 tackles in eight playoff games (six starts).
A sprained ankle derailed the first part of Oliver’s 2022 season, and his 2 1/2 sacks were a career low.
“I didn’t feel my best,” he said. “A whole bunch of different things was going on, but I stayed the course. Last year was a hard year. Mentally, when the season was over, I was just exhausted.”
Said Beane: “I’ve seen growth in Ed in more ways than what you see on the field. I think there are more plays out there Ed can make. I’ve doubled down on that. Ed and I have talked about that.”
Oliver said the expectations of a new contract are not a burden.
“I don’t feel any pressure – I feel like I’m going to outplay the contract, to be honest,” he said. “I just want to shut everybody up who said I was overpaid (with the new contract). Just sit back and watch me.”