Brandon Bean checks off three of five top extension priorities with new Greg Rousseau contract

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Jon Helmkamp | Last updated Mar 9, 2025 2:14 PM ET

Brandon Beane's offseason is already off to a busy start, with free agency set to kick off on Monday. After getting contract extensions done with wide receiver Khalil Shakir , Terrel Bernard, and now Greg Rousseau, Beane has already handled three of the five priority extensions that were on the to-do list for this offseason.

In doing so, Beane has locked up three of the key young players on the roster, all of whom through the 2029 season. He's building a core that will be the cornerstone of the championship window.

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Rousseau is an interesting case study. You could make a case that the Bills could have let him play out the last year on his rookie contract before electing to pay him, but apparently they believe in the emerging pass rusher and view him as a fixture of the team going forward.

The pass rusher is coming off an 8.0 sacks season, tying a career high from 2022, but three of the eight sacks came in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. It looked to be the part of a major breakout season, but for large stretches, Rousseau disappeared and failed to make the impact that it looked like he was going to. After Week 1, Rousseau went five weeks before logging another sack.

Rousseau did log a sack in each of the first two playoff games against Denver and Baltimore, but he played arguably his worst game in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He generated one pressure but recorded only a 1.7% pass rush win rate according to PFF.

The Bills are counting on Rousseau to continue developing with this new $80 million contract. He has the tools, but becoming a consistent impact pass rusher is the step that Buffalo will want to see next. James Cook, who has been vocal about a new contract, and emerging star cornerback Christian Benford are up next.