ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Last Wednesday, Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford inked a four-year extension that links him to the Bills through the 2029 season, the latest in a series of offseason moves that Buffalo has taken to solidify its roster.
The Bills have prioritized the re-signing of their own draft picks to contract extensions well in advance of those players reaching free agency. Benford ($76 million), the 2022 sixth-round pick out of Villanova, is one of three players from his draft class to get a four-year extension -- joining wide receiver Khalil Shakir ($60.2 million) and linebacker Terrel Bernard ($50 million) -- while defensive end Greg Rousseau (four years, $80 million) and quarterback Josh Allen (six years, $330 million) also received extensions in the past six weeks.
The big question for Benford when he was finalizing the extension was if he should use his left or right hand to sign due to the number of pages.
"I was like, my right hand will probably get tired. I'll have to use my left hand," Benford said. "I prayed after I got off the phone with my agent. Got on my knees a little bit and prayed. And so much appreciation ... it felt like all the people that have been rooting for me, that was there for me since I was younger -- that aren't here now, that's up top -- had their hands on my back."
The philosophy behind the extensions is nothing new. "Draft, develop and re-sign our own," as general manager Brandon Beane stated, is a key pillar of what the organization led by Beane and coach Sean McDermott aim to do when constructing their team. This offseason, that was embraced more than ever, getting ahead of the markets -- helping to keep values of the deals lower -- and keeping their core together.
Such moves help the team plan for the future, show a commitment to build through the draft and also lay an early foundation for what this team will look like for years to come.
Last year, the major moves of the Bills' offseason included moving on from veterans, including several captains, who had played key roles for years.
"We did that with confidence that we had some younger players, the guys we've extended," Beane said at the NFL league meeting last week. "But they still had to go out and earn it and prove it, and we felt that these guys that we extended this offseason did that."
The approach Beane and McDermott established has allowed core leadership to develop, from Bernard coming off his first year as a captain to Benford taking the next step forward as the team's No. 1 corner.
Players agreeing to potentially lesser deals than what they could have found on the open market reflects a desire to stay in Buffalo -- the trickle-down effect of an environment in which players feel they can succeed -- as well as wanting to play with the reigning MVP and a team that has won five straight division titles.
That's reflective of the culture built within the organization.
"I think in the middle of my rookie season, I wasn't playing on defense, really. And the relationships that I've built with the guys here, the coaches, people upstairs -- I think that's what helped me understand that this isn't just a business," Bernard said. "It is a business, but it's more than that. That people care about you. ... They want you to be successful, on and off the field. And I felt that even when I wasn't playing, so I knew it was genuine."
The Bills have had conversations with the representatives of running back James Cook, another member of the 2022 draft class, about an extension. But Beane said he doesn't see the team doing deals "anytime soon" with the focus now on the draft. After discussions with Cook's representation "didn't lead to anything as far as closing in on a deal," according to Beane, the team focused on negotiations with the players who they did re-sign or, as Beane described, "we were more on the same page with." That doesn't rule out an extension in the future for Cook, who pinned what was believed to be a contract expectation of "15 mill [dollars per] year" on his Instagram live.
"I'm sure he's going to want to come out and prove that the value that he and his reps put on him, 'Hey, lemme show you, if we're not there, I'm going to go out here and do it again,'" Beane said. "... We're rooting for him and we want nothing more, just like these other guys, for James to continue being a Buffalo Bill well past this season, but we are where we are and there's no hard feelings from us and I look forward to giving him a hug whenever I see him."
There are always players who don't work out or get re-signed -- 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam was traded to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, for example. Cook has developed into a reliable and successful No. 1 running back even if he's not re-signed, but in order for this philosophy to continue to work, the Bills must draft players that the team wants to develop and keep for the long-term. Doing so is instrumental in maintaining a level of success year after year, and that will return to focus with the draft later this month.
"Re-signing our own is a good first step," McDermott said last week. "Now it's about how do we continue to improve our roster, how do we continue to get ourselves where we need to be overall as a football team."
That sentiment is similar to Benford's approach toward his own consistency on the field.
"My drive [is] already still strong to be the best in the league," Benford said. "It don't change nothing. I don't feel different. My mindset is still the same. Get to the Super Bowl, be the best in the league."