MARCH 5: The official terms of the deal are out, and Shakir did not quite hit $15MM per year. Buffalo has locked down its leading receiver on a four-year, $53MM deal, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes. The $13.25MM AAV checks in 23rd at receiver.
Adding one void year to the end of the deal, the Bills will have Shakir on a $2.59MM cap number in 2025, Buscaglia adds. As mentioned last week, Buffalo securing Shakir through 2029 at a rate outside the top 20 represents impressive value. In addition to a $7MM signing bonus, a $9MM 2026 option bonus is present in the deal.
FEBRUARY 25: Despite acquiring Amari Cooper from the Browns, the Bills did not move Khalil Shakir down in their pass-game pecking order. Months later, the team’s reliable slot receiver landed an extension.
The Bills are signing Shakir to a four-year deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report. The fourth-year slot agreed to terms on a deal that will max out at $60.2MM and include $32MM guaranteed at signing. Helping to move the negotiations across the goal line: an $18MM payment in Year 1, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. The Bills have since announced the deal.
Although the near-$15MM AAV number certainly could be classified as a win for the Bills, they are authorizing a full guarantee that comes in just inside the top 20 among active receiver contracts. Shakir’s at-signing guarantee nearly matches Nico Collins‘ on his $24MM-per-year deal; though, the Texans only secured a three-year extension for Collins. The Bills managed to keep Shakir from testing free agency in 2026 on a four-year pact, which will keep his connection with Josh Allen in place for years to come, as the deal runs through the 2029 season.
Considering Shakir’s importance in the post-Stefon Diggs Bills passing game, the Boise State alum agreeing to a four-year deal at what appears to be less than $15MM per year in base value is interesting. But $32MM guaranteed at signing represents a nice haul for a player who initially worked as a low-end target in a passing attack fronted by Diggs and Gabe Davis. Shakir came on during the second half of the 2023 season, however, and functioned as Buffalo’s nominal WR1 following last year’s Diggs trade.
Shakir, who turned 25 earlier this month, accumulated 821 receiving yards last season. Allen’s most reliable chain-mover added four touchdown receptions, being a surehanded player for an offense in transition. In addition to losing Diggs, the Bills let Davis walk (to Jacksonville). Their offense still hummed, as Allen collected MVP honors. While the team did trade for Cooper to help boost its offense, the 1,000-yard regular was more role player than go-to target. Although Cooper certainly contributed in commanding top coverage, he took a backseat to Shakir. This contract will ensure Allen can keep building a rapport with a Day 3 success story.
The Bills will have this Shakir contract to pair with Keon Coleman‘s rookie deal, which runs through the 2027 season. As the team may soon need to give James Cook a deal similar to this one, locking in Shakir checks off an early-offseason part of its to-do list. Extensions for Christian Benford, Terrel Bernard, Gregory Rousseau and Connor McGovern may also be in the cards for a Bills team that has done some good work in the middle and late rounds during recent drafts.
That has not translated to a Super Bowl berth yet, as ill-timed injuries (and the Chiefs brick wall) continue to impede the AFC East powerhouse. But the Bills will enter 2025 with a clearer Super Bowl path, after the 2024 offseason was viewed more as a retooling period.
The new deal will reduce Chubb’s base salary in 2025, which was originally $19.45MM, per OverTheCap. He can still earn his full 2025 compensation through incentives based on playing time and sacks.
