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Buffalo Bills finally get out of NFL drama that had most of the league in a stranglehold heading into training camp

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Evan Winter | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 9:30 AM ET

Up until Wednesday night, 30 of 32 second-round rookies had yet to sign their respective contracts due to the fact that the 33rd and 34th overall picks in Carson Schwesinger and Jayden Higgins received fully-guaranteed deals from their teams.

That caused a logjam from No. 35-on, because everyone else wanted that kind of deal and no one wanted to be the first person to receive a non-guaranteed deal and ruin the party for everyone else. Schewsinger signed his deal all the way back in May, so it had been nearly two months since a second-rounder agreed to terms with his team.

San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Alfred Collins broke the picket line Wednesday, however, and things have been rolling, since. Now, more than a dozen second-rounders have inked their contracts and that includes Buffalo Bills rookie T.J. Sanders, who was the 41st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sanders signed his deal Thursday night, ending the drama for the Bills. Per Adam Schefter, it's a four-year, $10.645 million deal and $10.073 million of it is guaranteed.

And now the Bills have reached agreement with their second-round pick, defensive tackle TJ Sanders, on a four-year, $10.645 million deal that has $10.073 million of it guaranteed, per agents Robert Bailey and Drew Rosenhaus. pic.twitter.com/RWiDT9J0eA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 18, 2025

Bills rookies reported on July 16, so Sanders has missed a couple of days, but it's not a huge deal. Rookies are not allowed to be around the team without a signed contract once training camp begins, but that's obviously no longer the case after last night.

It's a big sigh of relief for the Bills, as Sanders is poised to play a role in what should be a very effective rotation at defensive tackle. He joins Ed Oliver, who is one of the premier players at the position. Those two should form an effective duo that keeps the Bills defense running at a high level.

Sanders was the last Bills pick to remain unsigned so now, they have their entire draft class locked up as they look to make a Super Bowl run in 2025.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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