Alaina GetzenbergMar 29, 2025, 12:25 PM ET
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- Alaina Getzenberg covers the Buffalo Expenses for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina used to be in the past a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has additionally labored for CBS Sports activities and the Dallas Morning Information. She is a graduate of the College of California, Berkeley.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Expenses persisted their philosophy and offseason development of signing their very own draft selections to long-term extensions, agreeing to phrases with cornerback Christian Benford on a four-year, $76 million contract extension, his brokers, Hadley Engelhard and Jim Ulrich of EnterSports Control, informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday.
Benford, 24, used to be coming into the overall yr of his rookie deal and now might be underneath contract in the course of the 2029 season. The settlement is the most recent within the Expenses’ prioritizing holding avid gamers who’ve evolved into starters ahead of they develop into loose brokers — “draft, increase and re-sign,” as normal supervisor Brandon Beane says.
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The sixth-round select of Villanova turns into the 3rd member of the Expenses’ 2022 draft magnificence to signal a four-year extension this offseason, becoming a member of broad receiver Khalil Shakir and linebacker Terrel Bernard. The Expenses have additionally signed defensive finish Greg Rousseau (4 years) and quarterback Josh Allen (six years) to extensions this offseason.
“Love Christian and excited he’s going to be again this season, and we’re going to see if It really works out now, later, down the street, to stay him right here,” Beane mentioned previous this month. “Which, once more, by means of what I have all the time mentioned, we wish to draft, increase, and re-sign our personal, and so excited that it’ll be right here this yr, particularly realizing … we are skinny on the place presently.”
Benford has been a transparent starter for the staff over the last two seasons — he began 5 video games because the Expenses labored out the beginning state of affairs in his rookie yr. He then took a step ahead in 2024 and has evolved into the staff’s No. 1 outdoor cornerback. Benford has 34 regular-season begins in 3 seasons and has posted 5 interceptions, 25 passes defensed and four pressured fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
The common annual price of the brand new deal by itself places Benford’s moderate annual price tied for thirteenth amongst cornerbacks.
Signing Benford partly addresses the staff’s largest place of want at outdoor cornerback for the long run. On the other hand, there’s no transparent starter reverse Benford at the roster with the draft lower than a month away after Rasul Douglas was a loose agent this offseason. In the case of intensity on the place, the staff traded 2022 first-round pick out Kaiir Elam to the Dallas Cowboys this month and taken again Dane Jackson.
The remainder query mark a few of the conceivable extension applicants for the Expenses is 2022 second-round pick out operating again James Prepare dinner.
