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 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.
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