Bills give star Christian Benford four-year, $76 million extension to bolster defense

The Bills are keeping one of their top defensive backs for the foreseeable future.Buffalo has agreed to a four-year extension with cornerback Christian Benford that’s worth $76 million, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday.The extension ensures that Benford won’t hit unrestricted free agency until 2030.Benford, a sixth-round pick out of Villanova in 2022, has emerged as one of the top corners in the NFL the past two seasons, particularly last year.

In 2024, Benford recorded two interceptions and 10 passes defended with a career-high 64 tackles.He was an analytics darling, grading out at an overall 82.6 on Pro Football Focus, which ranked him fifth out of 222 corners in the NFL.

His 82.8 coverage grade also ranked him sixth in the league.His absence was felt in the AFC title game in Kansas City after he was removed from the game with a concussion following a helmet-to-helmet collision with teammate Damar Hamlin in the first quarter.It was his second concussion in as many games, as Benford had suffered one during a divisional round win over the Ravens.Already without Taylor Rapp, Buffalo was shorthanded in the secondary and fell, 32-29, falling just short of a Super Bowl appearance.Buffalo’s pass defense did rank toward the bottom of the NFL last season, though, allowing the 24th-most passing yards (3,843) over 17 regular season games, so keeping Benford shores up at least part of the field.

The Bills have made it a priority to extend members of their core this offseason, which includes a $330 million extension with MVP quarterback Josh Allen....