The Buffalo Bills didn’t want Connor McGovern to hit the open market.
They agreed to terms with their veteran center on a four-year, $52 million contract, a league source told GNN Sports. The deal came less than 48 hours before the NFL’s legal tampering portion of free agency was set to begin.
McGovern has expressed since training camp his desire to remain with the Bills, but talks between the two sides hadn’t gotten far. He told The Athletic last week that he hasn’t heard from the Bills since his exit interview the day coach Sean McDermott was fired.
Some dominoes have fallen over the last few days to pave the way for McGovern’s signing. Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman retired at 27, leading them to trade for New England Patriots center Garrett Bradbury.
The Bradbury trade came hours after Tyler Biadasz, who was released by the Washington Commanders, signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
With standout center Tyler Linderbaum set to hit free agency, the Baltimore Ravens were also expected to be a potential landing spot for McGovern. But they traded two first-round picks for defensive end Maxx Crosby and his $60 million contract late Friday.
McGovern played through a broken knuckle and torn ligaments, along with a torn left triceps, last season, but he has not missed a game due to injury in three seasons with the Bills. McGovern signed a three-year, $22.35 million contract with the Bills in 2023 after spending his first three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played all 17 games at left guard during his first season with the Bills, but was moved to center in 2024 and made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
The 28-year-old now ranks fourth amongst NFL centers in annual salary, behind Kansas City’s Creed Humphrey ($18 million), Philadelphia’s Cam Jurgens ($17 million) and Green Bay’s Elgton Jenkins ($17 million). According to Spotrac.com, McGovern’s market value was set to be $16.3 million.
The move comes with left guard David Edwards’ future being uncertain. Spotrac sees Edwards’ market value at $19.908 million per season, a massive jump from the $4.905 million he made with the Bills last season.
Edwards’ market value might be considered high as few rank him ahead of Pittsburgh’s Isaac Seumalo nor Cleveland’s Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller on the free agent market. And it’s a Bills offensive line that has endured just four missed games due to injury over the last three seasons.
But like McGovern, there hasn’t been much movement on an extension for Edwards since training camp.
“We’ll keep the dialog going,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. “… I’d love to trot out the same five next year. You never say never. And we’ll just take it one day at a time. But if not, we’ll make sure that we fill those holes the way we did before because winning up front does not change.”
That’s why re-signing McGovern was a critical move for the Bills. Not only to keep another piece of the offensive line intact, but to ensure quarterback Josh Allen won’t have to break in a new center for quite a while.
There is a chemistry between a quarterback and center, not just in snapping, but in the way they set the pass protections in tandem. McGovern gets his say early and Allen finalizes it before the snap.
The Bills have made it clear throughout the offseason that Allen is the most important person in the organization, making him part of the coaching search that resulted in offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s promotion to head coach.
Buffalo gave up the fewest sacks in the NFL in 2023 and 2024. But Allen was sacked a career-high 40 times last year, more than the previous two years combined (38).
There were some miscommunication and odd protection calls that were cleaned up in the playoffs, as Allen was sacked just four times in two games. And with a new offensive line coaching incoming following Aaron Kromer’s retirement, it’s important not to change too much in front of Allen.