After breaking through in his third season — a 587-yard, nine-touchdown campaign — Dawson Knox is looking to stay in Buffalo for a while.
Rather than indicating intrigue about a 2023 free agency bid, the contract-year tight end has communicated to the Bills he would like to sign an extension that keeps him in western New York long term.
“First and foremost, I want to be here. I mean, I bought a house here a few months ago, not because I want to be gone in a year,” Knox said, via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. “So I want to be here as long as I can.
“I know a lot of that stuff is out of my hands with salary cap. I try not to read into all that too much, but I’ve definitely communicated that I want to be here for an extended amount of time, so whether that’s getting the extension now or later, I definitely hope it happens.”
While the Bills could strike early here, the former third-round pick could drive up his market with another quality season. The Ole Miss alumnus did not top 400 receiving yards in either of his first two seasons but became a key Josh Allen target in Year 3.
Knox rounds out a deep Buffalo pass-catching stable, one that will attempt to collectively fill the voids created by the exits of Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders. The Bills signed Jamison Crowder and have Gabriel Davis poised to be Stefon Diggs' top complement, but Knox could see a target uptick as well.
A big Knox season could also put him on the franchise tag radar in 2023. The Bills have not used the tag since cuffing left tackle Cordy Glenn in 2016, and Knox’s potential to be kept off the market is complicated by Tremaine Edmunds and Jordan Poyer being in walk years as well. Three tight ends — David Njoku, Dalton Schultz and Mike Gesicki — were hit with the $10.9M tag this year. That marked a big rase for each. Njoku’s $13.7M-per-year extension almost certainly impacted the Cowboys' and Dolphins’ talks with their tight ends. Each could benefit in 2023, with next year’s tight end market suddenly looking crowded.
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