The Buffalo Bills have had one of the most active offseasons of any NFL franchise this year. One of the moves made was reaching a contract extension with defensive captain Terrel Bernard.
The Bills signed the linebacker to a four-year, $50 million contract. With the extension, the 2022 third-round draft pick followed a trend of recent Bills players, changing his jersey number with his extension.
The team announced that Bernard will don No. 8 in 2025. The number was previously occupied by veteran punter Sam Martin, who was released earlier this month as a cost-cutting measure.
In his first three NFL seasons, Bernard wore No. 43 after rocking three different numbers in his five-year career at Baylor. Bernard wore No. 34, No. 26, and most notably, No. 2 for the Bears.
Following his redshirt senior year where he tallied over 100 tackles and 7.5 sacks, Bernard was quick to establish himself as a key piece in the NFL, playing 16 games his rookie season and becoming a full-time starter in his sophomore campaign.
Bernard was one of only two team captains for the Bills last season, joining quarterback and 2024 MVP Josh Allen. Bernard is coming off consecutive 100 tackle seasons, racking up 143 in his second season, and 104 in just 13 games in 2024.
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Bernard will be the third Bills defenseman to elect a single-digit number after starting their Bills career in the double digits. Cornerback Taron Johnson wore No. 24 for the entirety of his rookie contract. The 2018 fourth-round draft pick switched to No. 7 after inking an extension.
Veteran safety Taylor Rapp joined the Bills as a free agent from the Los Angeles Rams on a one-year contract in 2023, where he wore No. 20. After re-signing with Buffalo last year, he changed to No. 9.
Since his number change, Johnson averaged 96 tackles and one interception per season after averaging 66 tackles per season. Rapp earned a full-time starting spot after his number change, doubling his interception and tackle-for-loss numbers. Rapp also saw his tackles jump from 50 to 82, despite playing two less games in 2024.
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This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 6:18 PM.