Bills extending cornerback Christian Benford with new four-year, $76 million deal, per report

The Buffalo Bills haven’t necessarily spent big to add players this offseason, but they’ve certainly ponied up the dough for homegrown veterans. That continued Saturday, with the team signing cornerback Christian Benford to a four-year, $76 million contract extension, as ESPN reported.

Benford, 24, was set to enter the final year of his rookie deal in 2025. Now he’ll average $19 million in annual earnings, per ESPN, which makes him roughly a top-12 highest-paid cornerback. The pay raise comes after Benford started a career-high 15 games for Sean McDermott’s defense in 2024, earning Pro Football Reference’s sixth-best pass coverage grade among all cornerbacks.

A sixth-round draft pick of the Bills out of Villanova in 2022, Benford played just nine games as a rookie, then emerged as a key piece of the secondary as a second-year player. He’s logged at least two interceptions and 10 pass breakups in each of his last two seasons, even drawing a vote for Defensive Player of the Year, thanks to his breakout 2024 campaign.

Benford, whose long-term extension helps offset the loss of veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas in free agency, is just the latest Bills standout to receive a new deal this year. Buffalo also reached new contract agreements with wide receiver Khalil Shakir, pass rusher Greg Rousseau and linebacker Terrel Bernard.