The Buffalo Bills resolved one of their most pressing roster questions Tuesday, agreeing to a new three-year deal with tight end Dawson Knox. The 29-year-old, selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss, had gone public with his own uncertainty about his future with the team just weeks ago.
A bloated cap figure put him among the candidates the Bills could not afford to retain without adjusting his contract. Knox earned a Pro Bowl nod during his time in Buffalo, made clear he had no desire to leave.
Knox’s Cap Hit Became Too Costly for Bills to Ignore Going Into 2026
Under his previous contract, Knox was owed $12 million in cash for 2026, including a $1.5 million roster bonus due on Day 5 of the new league year.
Releasing him would have saved the Bills roughly $9.7 million in cap space, though $7.4 million in dead money would have remained on the books regardless.
Knox addressed the situation on the Monday Mornings With Mitch podcast, hosted by former Bills center Mitch Morse.
Buffalo Bills Dawson Knox
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
“It’s weird because every other offseason I’ve had is knowing we’re definitely back in Buffalo unless something crazy happens,” Knox said. “But now knowing that next year my cap hit is huge, and I really don’t have any guarantees…”
Bills GM Brandon Beane spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine about Knox’s situation weeks before the deal came together.
“We’d be crazy not to want a Dawson Knox back. We know we have to make it work for him and work for us,” Beane said. “So it’s TBD at this point, like it is with some other players, too.”
The new contract runs through the 2028 season, replacing the four-year, $53.6 million deal he had signed in 2022.
Sources: The Bills and Pro Bowl TE Dawson Knox have agreed on a new three-year contract. pic.twitter.com/UkGaXHaX1m
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 10, 2026
What Knox’s New Deal Means for Buffalo’s Tight End Group Going Forward
Dawson KnoxKnox played all 17 regular-season games last year, finishing with 36 receptions for 417 yards and four touchdowns. He led the Bills’ tight ends in snap share at roughly 58 percent.
Dalton Kincaid, the Bills’ 2023 first-round pick, played only 12 games due to knee and oblique injuries but still produced 39 catches, 571 yards, and five touchdowns.
Jackson Hawes, a fifth-round pick from 2025, added 16 receptions but made his biggest mark as a blocker. Pro Football Focus ranked him fourth among 69 qualifying tight ends, with Kincaid finishing second in that same group.
Knox’s working relationship with tight ends coach Rob Boras, who was also elevated to run game coordinator this offseason, factored into his decision to stay rather than test the open market.
Across 102 career games, all in Buffalo, he has recorded 229 receptions for 2,694 yards and 27 touchdowns.
A full season from a healthy Kincaid alongside him gives Josh Allen a dependable two-tight-end option that few AFC defenses will enjoy defending.