Ed Oliver has found a home in Buffalo, and he'll be staying there a little longer.
Oliver, 25, was selected No. 9 overall by the Bills out of the University of Houston in the 2019 NFL Draft. The 2023 season was to be his contract year, but the Bills have eliminated that uncertainty. Buffalo and Oliver have agreed to a four-year extension, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Saturday.
Schefter reported the deal is worth $68 million, with $45 million guaranteed. The $17 million average annual value puts Oliver in the neighborhood of other defensive tackles in the NFL, although behind the likes of the Rams' Aaron Donald, the Titans' Jeffery Simmons and the Commanders' Daron Payne, who signed a four-year, $90 million extension earlier this offseason.
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Ed Oliver contract details
Oliver reportedly agreed to a four-year, $68 million extension with the Bills. The deal is intended to keep him in Buffalo though the 2027 season.
The contract includes $45 million in guaranteed money, putting him near the 49ers' Arik Armstead and the Giants' Leonard Williams.
Full contract details (dead cap, yearly salary) have not been disclosed. This section will be updated as more information becomes available.
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Ed Oliver stats
Oliver has posted solid numbers in his four NFL seasons, with 151 career tackles (96 solo) and 14.5 career sacks. He played in just 13 games last season because of an ankle sprain he suffered in the season opener against the Rams.
| Year | GP | FF | FR | SK | TK | TFL | QB Hits | SAF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 5.0 | 43 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| 2020 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | 33 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 2021 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 41 | 10 | 14 | 0 |
| 2022 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 | 34 | 9 | 14 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 62 | 4 | 1 | 14.5 | 151 | 30 | 42 | 1 |
The production of a defensive tackle can't necessarily be quantified by box score production, but Oliver is clearly someone the Bills wanted to have around moving forward.
NFL's highest-paid defensive tackles
Oliver's deal puts him in the company of Kenny Clark and Cameron Heyward, but he isn't touching the top-earning defensive tackles. Even by average annual value, he's still firmly in the second tier.
The highest-paid 4-3 defensive tackles in the NFL following Oliver's extension, per Over The Cap.
| Player | Years | Total | AAV | Guaranteed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Donald | 3 | $95,000,000 | $31,666,667 | $65,000,000 |
| Jeffery Simmons | 4 | $94,000,000 | $23,500,000 | $59,330,000 |
| Dexter Lawrence | 4 | $90,000,000 | $22,500,000 | $59,000,000 |
| Daron Payne | 4 | $90,000,000 | $22,500,000 | $60,020,000 |
| Arik Armstead | 4 | $85,000,000 | $21,250,000 | $45,850,000 |
| Javon Hargrave | 4 | $84,000,000 | $21,000,000 | $40,000,000 |
| DeForest Buckner | 4 | $84,000,000 | $21,000,000 | $56,378,000 |
| Chris Jones | 4 | $80,000,000 | $20,000,000 | $60,000,000 |
| Jonathan Allen | 4 | $72,000,000 | $18,000,000 | $35,642,235 |
| Vita Vea | 4 | $71,000,000 | $17,750,000 | $40,596,440 |
| Kenny Clark | 4 | $70,000,000 | $17,500,000 | $25,000,000 |
| Ed Oliver | 4 | $68,000,000 | $17,000,000 | $45,000,000 |
| Cameron Heyward | 4 | $65,600,000 | $16,400,000 | $20,250,000 |
With all the big contracts being signed this offseason, there remains the question of what they mean for the Jets' Quinnen Williams, who can become a free agent after the 2023 season.
He can use those deals to inform him about what he might get. Oliver's $17 million AAV is on the low end on the above list, with Payne, Simmons and the Giants' Dexter Lawrence all signing for more.
One thing to glean from these contracts is that four years is the preferred length for defensive tackle deals. Expect Williams, who is the same age as Oliver, to command a similar length.
