Dawson Knox agrees to contract extension with Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills have agreed to a contract extension with tight end Dawson Knox, keeping the long-term offensive contributor with the team for at least the 2026 season. The news was reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and confirmed by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

We’ll know more when the contract details are announced, but Knox’s spot on the team was in doubt in 2026 with a huge cap hit and bloated salary in comparison to his stats in 2025.

Knox had been set to count more than $17 million against the Bills cap in 2026 with a $12 million salary, placing him in the top 10 of all tight ends in the NFL. Both of those numbers will surely be much lower now under the new deal. The Bills will probably give him a chance to earn back any money cut from his salary via incentives. The most interesting thing will be guarantees past 2026.

Knox originally signed a monster extension in 2022, earning a Pro Bowl nod following the season and back-to-back 500-yard seasons before an injury plagued 2023. The Bills drafted Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 draft, but Knox’s role remained strong while Kincaid was on the field and even more so when the young player dealt with injuries. They renegotiated the contract in 2024 to make the cap hit more team-friendly, and guarantee future year salary to keep Know in the fold. Now they rework it again two years later.

When they reworked the deal in 2024, Knox had playing time, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown incentives AND escalators built into the contract. That will likely be similar to the new structure, as well, in order to further lower his cap hit.

The duo of Knox and Kincaid was joined by fifth-round pick Jackson Hawes in 2025 and they were the most consistent position group on the roster throughout the season. The move keeps together a core part of Buffalo’s offense under coordinator-turned-head coach Joe Brady.