After a fifth-straight division title in 2024, Buffalo concentrated on locking up the core of its talented roster this offseason and has the reigning league MVP ready to produce another explosive campaign

Scott Smith

As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers enjoy one last extended break before training camp, we're taking a look at each team the Buccaneers are going to face during the 2025 season. From how those teams fared last year, to what they've done with the roster since, to some as-yet-unanswered questions we want to get a better feel for what the Bucs will be up against this fall. Today's focus is on the Buffalo Bills, who remain a legitimate Super Bowl contender and will be bringing the reigning NFL MVP to Tampa in November.

2024 Results

The Bills finished 13-4 in 2024 and won the NFC East for the fifth season in a row, in this case by a five-game margin over Miami. Buffalo lost to Baltimore and Houston in the first half of the season and got nipped by the Rams in Los Angeles in Week 14, but otherwise its only other defeat was a meaningless week 18 game against New England in which the starters were rested or quickly benched. In the playoffs, Buffalo dispatched Denver easily and won a thriller against Buffalo before being taken out by a familiar foe in the AFC Championship Game.

Buffalo scored 30 or more points in 12 of its 17 regular-season contests, starting the season with a close 34-28 win at home against Arizona and then a pair of blowouts at Miami and against Jacksonville. The Ravens had the Bills' number in Week Four (revenge would come later), as Derrick Henry ran for 199 yards and two scores in a lopsided 35-10 loss. A trip to Houston the next week ended badly; Buffalo only mounted 276 yards of offense but did rally from a 20-3 deficit only to see the home team win on a walk-off field goal.

The Bills then ripped off seven straight wins, scoring 30-plus points in all but one of them. The highlight came in Week 11, when the Kansas City Chiefs visited and Josh Allen out-dueled Patrick Mahomes in a 30-21 decision. Safety Taylor Rapp and linebacker Terrel Bernard both intercepted Mahomes and the Buffalo defense held Kansas City to 259 total yards. Buffalo then enjoyed its bye week and came out of the break with a 35-10 beatdown of the 49ers in which Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score. The victory clinched the AFC East title for Buffalo with five weeks still to go.

The following week, Allen accounted for six touchdowns three through the air and three on the ground and 342 yards passing and 82 rushing, only for the Bills to fall to the Rams, 44-42. The Bills had to go from there to Detroit in Week 15 and yet another shootout broke out, this time in the visitors' favor. In perhaps the most entertaining game of the year, the Lions' Jared Goff threw five touchdown passes but Allen countered with two scores each through the air on and on the ground as the two teams combined for 1,080 yards of offense. Buffalo left Detroit with a 48-42 victory, then followed with easy home wins over New England and the New York Jets before that aforementioned quasi-bye in Week 18.

Buffalo's postseason run began at home against rookie quarterback Bo Nix and an overmatched Denver Broncos squad. The Bills more than doubled Denver's offensive output (471 yards to 224) and James Cook led a rushing attack that gained 210 yards in a 31-7 thrashing. The Bills got a much bigger challenge in the Divisional Round from Lamar Jackson and the visiting Ravens. Henry had another big game but the Bills took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter and never relinquished it. Baltimore actually scored with 1:33 left to make it a 27-25 game but tight end Mark Andrews couldn't hang on to what appeared to be a game-tying two-point conversion and the Bills escaped with the two-point victory.

The conference championship game in Kansas City was as hard-fought as expected, and a four-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Curtis Samuel midway through the fourth quarter created a 29-29 tie at Arrowhead Stadium. After the home team went up on a field goal with 3:33 left, the Bills went for it on fourth down near midfield and failed to convert at the two-minute warning. The Chiefs gained two first downs to run out the clock.

Allen had his best season yet and was rewarded with his first NFL MVP award, beating very strong competition from Jackson. Allen threw for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns and was only picked off six times, a huge improvement from previous seasons. He also ran for 531 yards and 12 more scores. Buffalo scored 30.9 points per game, second only to the Ravens, and was ninth in both rushing and passing yards. The Bills also had the lowest sack rate, the third-lowest interception rate and the second-best red-zone touchdown efficiency in the league. James Cook ran for 1,009 yards and scored 18 total touchdowns while slot receiver Khalil Shakir led the pass-catching group with 821 yards on 76 grabs.

Buffalo's defense dealt with some injury issues, most significantly to linebacker Matt Milano, and finished 17th in the NFL in yards allowed and 12th in points allowed. The pass defense struggled, ranking 24th, and Buffalo was particularly weak on third downs, allowing a 43.8% conversion rate that was the fifth-worst in the league. Greg Rousseau led the squad with 8.0 sacks and seven different defenders registered a pair of interceptions.

2025 Arrivals

While Bills fans clamored for an addition to the receiving corps, the Bills used their first five picks in the 2025 draft to shore up the defense. That started with Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston late in the first round; Hairston figures to start on the outside and form a strong cornerback trio with rising star Christian Benford and slot demon Taron Johnson.

The Bills used their second-round pick on South Carolina defensive tackle as they reloaded in the trenches, also signing veteran Larry Ogunjobi and picking Kentucky's Deon Walker in the fourth round. That group added to the starting duo of Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones gives the team a deep rotation in the interior. The Bills also took another swing on a veteran for the outside pass rush, signing former Charger Joey Bosa to a one-year, $12.5-million deal. Bosa's last 10-sack season was 2021 and he has missed 23 games due to injuries over the last three seasons but he did make the Pro Bowl last year. Buffalo also signed edge rusher Michael Hoecht 13.5 sacks over the last three years away from the Rams.

The Bills made sure to add to their secondary depth, too, bringing back Tre'Davious White and signing former Panther corner Dane Jackson on one-year deals. Neither is likely to start to open the season but both are experienced veterans who can help the Bills weather any injury problems. More recently, the Bills signed long-time Carolina linebacker Shaq Thompson, who provides proven depth behind Milano and Bernard.

The Bills didn't make any splash signings on offense but they did add three veteran receivers who could figure into the mix in the Chargers' Josh Palmer, the Browns' Elijah Moore and free agent Laviska Shenault. Palmer is the most likely of that group to start, perhaps joining second-year man Keon Coleman as the outside starting duo, allowing Shakir to continue producing out of the slot.

There will be one significant change to the Bills' special teams crew in 2025, as well. The team signed former Buccaneer Jake Camarda early in January, then later added Brad Robbins to the mix. Robbins was drafted by the Bengals in the sixth round in 2023 and was Cincinnati's punter for one whole season, so he provides legitimate competition for Camarda.

2025 Departures

Buffalo made a concerted effort to keep its core intact in the offseason (more on that below) and was largely successful, suffering relatively minor losses in free agency. Wide receiver Mack Hollins left for a two-year deal in New England and will be on his fifth team in as many seasons. Defensive end Dawuane Smoot got a one-year deal in Jacksonville after 1.5 sacks in 2024, and reserve offensive lineman Will Clapp elected to go back to New Orleans after making one start for Buffalo.

Buffalo did release a couple of well-heeled veterans. While the Bosa signing is a big reminiscent of the earlier acquisition of Von Miller, in Miller's case the deal was for multiple years and didn't really work out. Miller had 14 sacks and missed 15 games over three years in Buffalo. He was cut in March, as was 34-year-old punter Sam Martin, who quickly signed with Carolina.

Safety Michah Hyde elected to retire after missing last season due to injury. The Bills also traded cornerback Kaiir Elam to Dallas for a late-round pick swap and did not re-sign wide receiver Amari Cooper, cornerback Rasul Douglas nor defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and Quinton Jefferson. Phillips and Jefferson were both in-season signings in 2024 after they had been cut by other teams.

Other Noteworthy Developments

The most significant news for the Bills during the 2025 offseason was the agreement with Allen on a new deal that amounts to six years for $330 million. The contract replaces the one that had four years left on it and runs through the 2030 season. It includes a record $250 million in guarantees and gives him the second-highest average annual salary behind the Cowboys' Dak Prescott.

As noted above, the Bills wisely set about locking up their own standout players during the offseason, rather than spending big in free agency. Among the players who got new four-year deals to stay in Buffalo were Shakir, Bernard, Rousseau and Benford. Buffalo also re-signed running back Ty Johnson and safety Damar Hamlin.

Construction continued on the team's new stadium, which is scheduled to be completed in July of 2026. Highmark Stadium will be open-air and is expected to seat at least 60,000 fans.

Pressing Questions

Have the Bills done enough to build a pass-catching corps around MVP Josh Allen?

There was some negative fan reaction in Buffalo when the team used its first five 2025 draft picks on defensive players and, specifically, didn't draft a receiver until the seventh round. General Manager Brandon Beane was treated to some of that chatter while waiting to be interviewed by a local radio station right after the draft, and he didn't hold back in his response. Beane's points were extremely valid Buffalo scored more points than any other team in 2024, playoffs included, and it really doesn't matter how that scoring is achieved but it is also fair to wonder if wide receiver is a weak spot on the depth chart.

It may not matter. Allen is such a powerful dual threat that the Bills don't necessarily have to have a Justin Jefferson-type of receiver to keep rolling the scoreboard. And shoring up the league's 17th-ranked defense was arguably a more pressing concern. Perhaps this is more of a fantasy football-focused question, but does a true Super Bowl contender have enough firepower with Shakir, Palmer and Coleman as its starting three receivers?

Shakir is a dynamic player who the Bills clearly think is a central part of their offense given his new contract. Coleman was the first pick of the second round last year and he had 556 receiving yards as a rookie but is still largely unproven. Palmer averaged about 550 receiving yards per season in four years with the Chargers and scored a total of 10 touchdowns. Maybe this group will be dynamic, or maybe the Bills don't need them to be an overwhelming force. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Will Joey Bosa provide the pass-rushing boost the Bills' defense needs?

As noted earlier, the Von Miller signing didn't really provide the desired results, though Buffalo has still continued to stack wins and deep playoff runs. Buffalo did get 10.5 sacks out of a one-year rental of Leonard Floyd in 2023; perhaps the Bosa signing will be that good, or a little more.

Buffalo ranked 23rd in sacks per pass play rate on defense in 2024, down from third the year before. The team used a third-round pick on edge rusher Landon Jackson in April but is probably banking on Bosa being the one to revitalize its pass rush. The interior-line rotation should be very deep and solid after this offseason's additions, so it's on the edge where the biggest question mark remains. Bosa had four double-digit sack campaigns in his first six years in the NFL (2016-21) and was a perennial Pro Bowler. Injuries have dominated his story in recent seasons, and that has to be a concern for Buffalo in 2024 especially after the Miller experience but a bounceback campaign from Bosa could produce a defense that complements Allen's explosive offense very well.