Bills, Terrel Bernard agree to four-year extension: Buffalo retains one of its key defensive players

With free agency on the horizon, the Buffalo Bills have made it a point to secure their core. Earlier this offseason, the club inked wideout Khalil Shakir to an extension, and now they are extending a key figure to their defense. On Friday, the team announced it has reached an agreement on a four-year extension with linebacker Terrel Bernard that keeps him linked to the franchise through the 2029 season. 

As for the financial component of the extension, NFL Media reports Bernard agreed to a four-year, $50 million extension and gets $25.2 million guaranteed. 

Bernard was entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025, so this deal now secures him for the foreseeable future. The 25-year-old entered the league as a third-round pick of the Bills in 2022 out of Baylor. Since heading to upstate New York, Bernard has blossomed into a key cog of Sean McDermott’s defense. Last season, he was named one of Buffalo’s two captains for the 2024 campaign. 

He showed that leadership and knack for coming up in the clutch at various points throughout his career, including last postseason. In the playoff victory over the Ravens, Bernard forced a fumble in the fourth quarter to help clinch the win. 

In 13 games played last season, Bernard totaled 104 tackles, a sack, three pass breakups and two interceptions.