Throughout the offseason, there were several rumors surrounding Buffalo Bills defensive end Ed Oliver. He was the subject of hypothetical trades as a way for Buffalo to clear some more cap space should the need arise.
General manager Brandon Beane continually said that the organization was hoping to keep Ed Oliver long-term, but we have heard that song and dance from front office personnel previously. Alas, Beane actually meant what he said as Ed Oliver isn’t going anywhere.
The No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft agreed to a huge four-year, $68 million deal over the weekend. From the Bills’ perspective, that is a solid deal based on other contracts that were signed by defensive tackles this offseason.
Javon Hargrave, Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence and Jeffery Simmons all signed for at least $84 million as free agents or extensions with their teams. In that regard, the Bills have gotten quite a steal. That will be cemented if Ed Oliver can follow through with his plans to outperform the contract that he just signed.
“I don’t feel no pressure. I feel like I’m gonna outplay the contract to be honest,” Oliver said, per ESPN‘s Alaina Getzenberg. “But that’s just the way I think, I just want to shut everybody up who said I was overpaid or something like that. Like, just sit back and watch.”
Ed Oliver hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations of a top-10 pick yet in his career, but he has proven to be a useful piece in the Bills’ defensive tackle rotation. There are some pass-rushing skills on display, as he has 14.5 sacks and 42 quarterback hits in his 62 career games.
While he doesn’t feel any pressure, now that he is locked into a long-term deal, there will be an expectation to produce at a certain level. Ed Oliver is confident that he can reach that level, which is good news for the Bills in their pursuit of a Super Bowl.
