Report: Bills re-sign LB Matt Milano to four-year, $44M deal

As free agency draws nearer, the Bills are locking up one of their own with a big commitment. Buffalo has agreed to terms to re-sign linebacker Matt Milano, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

The deal is for four years and a whopping $44M, with $24M of that being guaranteed. We had heard just a few weeks ago that the Bills were planning on letting Milano hit the open market, and many were expecting both sides to move on, so this one is a bit surprising. The conventional wisdom was that the Bills might get priced out on Milano with the emergence of A.J. Klein and the upcoming potential extension for fellow linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. This is a pretty solid deal for the Bills considering many expected him to be even more expensive.

Injuries limited Milano to only 10 games this past season, but he was still effective, racking up 45 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three passes defended and an interception in those contests. The year before, he had 101 tackles in 15 games. A fifth-round pick back in 2017, Milano far exceeded all expectations from his draft status.

He started five games as a rookie and then became a full-time starter in 2018. One of the top free-agent linebackers is now off the market. With Tre’Davious White and Dion Dawkins, Milano is part of an extremely successful 2017 Buffalo draft class.