Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills had a disappointing end to their 2025 season. Buffalo went 12-5, finishing second in the AFC East behind Drake Maye and the New England Patriots. Although Buffalo's franchise record five-year run atop the division ended, they still received a playoff berth.
In an NFL playoffs without the competition of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens and Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, Allen and the Bills had high expectations placed upon them. Things looked good to start when the star quarterback led his team to 27-24 Wild Card victory over Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Sean McDermott-led squad once again disappointed in postseason play, losing in the AFC Divisional playoffs 33-30 in overtime to Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos.
Coming off the playoff loss, Buffalo has made major changes to their team this offseason. McDermott was let go of after nine seasons for his lack of postseason success. The Bills turned heads when they traded a second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore. The Bills are not finished with their offseason moves, as they have now made a decision on the offensive line.
Ryan Van Demark is a 6-foot-6 offensive lineman who just completed his third year in the league. The UConn Huskies product went undrafted in the 2022 draft, eventually being signed by the Indianapolis Colts but never making the 53-man roster. Van Demark was signed by Buffalo in 2023 and appeared in 12 games. The promising young lineman has seen increased action every year in the league. He played in 14 games in 2024, starting in two of them, and played in all 17 regular-season games for the Bills in 2025, starting in four of them.
Van Demark has seen his time in Buffalo come to an end, as the restricted free agent is headed to the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year, $4.2 million deal that is fully guaranteed. The Bills had five days to match the offer sheet, and now they will lose a protector for their superstar quarterback.
"RFA on the move:," NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero wrote on X. "The Bills will not match the offer sheet to OL Ryan Van Demark, who is headed to the Vikings on a one-year, $4.2 million fully guaranteed deal, sources tell The Insiders. Deal negotiated by @davidcanter @nessmugrabi @brian_mcintyre of @aurasportsgroup."
Buffalo holds the No. 26 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which begins on April 23.
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