Buffalo Bills

The agent for Gable Steveson told ESPN's Adam Schefter that his client signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills on Friday.

Steveson won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo before embarking on a career in professional wrestling with WWE, but he was released from his WWE contract earlier this month.

Schefter added that Steveson, who has never played organized football, is expected to try to make the Bills' roster as a defensive lineman.

Per Schefter, Steveson is signing a "standard rookie three-year deal," and he said the following regarding his foray into football:

"I have been fortunate to compete at the highest level of competition in my sport but am looking forward to the challenge of seeing how my wrestling skills may translate to football. I am grateful to Coach [Sean] McDermott, [general manager] Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity."

Although Steveson is an elite-level athlete who won two NCAA Division I national championships in freestyle wrestling as a heavyweight at the University of Minnesota, he is essentially starting from square one.

Schefter noted that Steveson had never even put on a pair of cleats before recently working out for the Bills.

The 24-year-old has the odds stacked against him in terms of making Buffalo's 53-man roster in 2024 but if he shows enough potential in training camp and the preseason, a practice squad spot could be a possibility.

Since McDermott was a successful wrestler in high school, he has long gravitated toward players with a wrestling background. According to Schefter, McDermott believes Steveson's skill set as a wrestler could help him transition to being a defensive lineman in the NFL.

Steveson is on the small side for an NFL defensive lineman at 6'1" and 275 pounds, but his strength is undeniable, and it could be what sets him apart from his competition.

His attempt to carve out an NFL career feels similar to what Brock Lesnar did after leaving WWE in 2004.

Lesnar had not played football since high school, but he was a national champion wrestler at the University of Minnesota like Steveson, and he quickly rose up the ranks to become a main eventer in WWE.

After signing with the Minnesota Vikings, Lesnar performed well in the preseason, but after being one of the team's final cuts, he transitioned to MMA and won the UFC heavyweight title. He later returned to WWE.

During his time in WWE, Steveson's training was interrupted in 2022 when he underwent an ablation on his heart to treat Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. He was later cleared to return to training, but only ended up having one televised match before his release.

Now, Steveson will be the latest in a long line of Olympic athletes who have tried to make the grade in the NFL.

Hall of Fame wide receiver "Bullet" Bob Hayes is the only one who has gone on to win a Super Bowl, doing so with the Dallas Cowboys to conclude the 1971 season.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane opened up about the front office's decision to trade star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans this offseason.

"A player of his caliber, you weigh a lot of things in those situations," Beane said during an appearance on The Athletic Football Show (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). "But ultimately, we just talked about the cap. I don't need to go through all the reasons why we decided to go ahead and do that. I would say, from a cap standpoint, we decided just to go ahead and eat it now.

"We think we can compete and do what we need to do by eating it now. And not next year. Because if we didn't, if we tried to come up with some way to split it up too many different ways, then now it's just like that albatross hanging on your neck all year. You look at your cap and you're going, 'Look how much money we still have dead.'"

Diggs was previously signed through the 2028 season, which would have been quite the long-term decision making for the Bills considering he will turn 31 years old in November and saw a decline in production in 2023.

However, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explained in April, the Texans made quite the adjustment to that contract once they finished the trade.

Houston voided all future years on his deal except the upcoming one and increased his 2024 compensation from $8.5 million to more than $22 million. From Diggs' perspective, that means he can hit the open market next offseason and perhaps line himself up for one more massive contract.

From the Texans' perspective, they don't have to worry about a long-term commitment to someone who is in his 30s and may have provided even more motivation for the four-time Pro Bowler going into the 2024 campaign.

High level of difficulty? No problem for Stefon Diggs 😱

📺: #BUFvsMIA on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/GqJJdyI3EW pic.twitter.com/XXn09FxpAf

— NFL (@NFL) January 8, 2024

They are legitimate Super Bowl contenders with C.J. Stroud throwing to the likes of Nico Collins, Diggs, Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz, and the best version of Diggs playing for a new deal would make them all the more dangerous to the rest of the AFC.

Diggs is coming off six consecutive years of more than 1,000 receiving yards, although his 1,183 in 2023 represents a downturn from his 1,429 in 2022 and NFL-best 1,535 in 2020. It would be reasonable to expect him to slow a step as he ages, and Buffalo moved on before that happens.

Still, Houston figures to get plenty of production from him considering he might not face that many double teams playing alongside so much offensive firepower. He was often doubled on the Bills as their clear-cut primary option, but that might not be the case for the Texans.

It may end up as something of a win-win-win for the Bills, Texans and Diggs given the contract moves.

Josh Allen lost one of his main targets over the offseason after Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans, but he gained a new one through the draft when the Buffalo Bills selected Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman.

Allen had high praise for Coleman, the No. 33 overall pick in the 2024 draft, complimenting his size and ability to make plays while speaking during an appearance on NFL Network's The Insiders, per NFL.com's Christian Gonzales.

"I think his play style (is) what we needed in our offense," Allen said. "Talking with our offensive coordinator (Joe Brady), our quarterbacks coach (Ronald Curry), (general manager) Brandon Beane and, obviously, coach (Sean) McDermott, a guy that's a big-bodied guy and can go win one a back-shoulder fade and not afraid to be a physical wide receiver."

Coleman, who spent his first two years with Michigan State before transferring to Florida State, had 658 receiving yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns in his final collegiate season. At 6'3", and 213 pounds, Coleman will give Allen a sizeable target downfield in 2024.

Along with Diggs, who had a team-high 1,183 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last season, Buffalo also lost a receiver in Gabe Davis, who joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. Davis had 746 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.

Allen seems to be confident in his receivers moving forward though. Along with shouting out Coleman, he gave a nod to new additions Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel as well as veteran tight end Dawson Knox.

"I think you pair him with some of the guys we have in our room right now, I think Mack Hollins has been such a great addition so far to that room with his mentality, his mindset is infectious to others," Allen said. "Curtis Samuel, he's been showing up every single day ready to work. … You start pairing those guys up with Dawson (Knox) and Coleman in this mix now, we're gonna have a pretty solid group that works together."

Hollins had 251 receiving yards in 13 games last year while 613 yards and four touchdowns. Now with the Bills, the two are looking to make a leap and be valuable contributors out of the gate.

Competing for a championship will be tough without a Pro Bowler like Diggs catching passes, but with a promising rookie like Coleman and a few more offseason additions, the Bills could still find themselves capable of winning a Super Bowl.

Buffalo Bills rookie receiver Keon Coleman is not taking long to ingratiate himself with fans.

An X user revealed Coleman wore a bracelet gifted to him by a young fan during his photoshoot at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere.

In case you needed another reason to love @keoncoleman6:
My friend's son wrote him a letter and sent it with these bracelets... And Keon wore them for his rookie pics. 🫶😍
This boy's day was MADE. pic.twitter.com/js3Uo0XC0a

— Leslie (@leslieanne94) May 20, 2024

The Bills traded up to the top pick in the second round of last month's NFL draft to select Coleman, who could serve as their WR1 as a rookie after Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis left the team this offseason.

Coleman already charmed Bills fans—and NFL fans in general—with a wholesome moment in his introductory press conference that featured him having an extended conversation about the best time to buy a winter coat. The Florida State product knows his star is rising quickly among Bills faithful but said his focus is on getting better on the field.

"I'm aware of it. But like I said earlier, I'm happy to keep the main thing the main thing and get back to playing ball," Coleman told reporters. "So, the hype can be there all it wants but I still have to make plays on the field. And I want to help contribute to win, so we got to win to make our fans happy. A jacket ain't going to get that done."

Coleman racked up 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns during the 2023 season. At 6'4" and 215 pounds, Coleman is a strong, physical receiver who catches the ball well in space and looks faster on the field than his 4.61-second time in the 40-yard dash.

The Bills will hope Coleman makes for a fast study, as their receiver room looks sparse amid the exit of Diggs and Davis.

Jordan Poyer is nothing if not a loyal teammate—even if he's no longer a teammate.

The Miami Dolphins safety, who played the previous seven seasons with the Buffalo Bills, called Bills quarterback Josh Allen the best in the NFL at Micah Hyde's charity softball game in Buffalo.

"Seven years out here, man," Poyer said Sunday. "I loved every moment of it. Thank you so much for allowing me to grow as a person, as a player. Teammates, coaches, everybody, man, I loved every moment of it. Sorry we couldn't get it done, but you've got the best quarterback in the league. I know that might go viral, but it's OK. I get to see y'all twice a year. I can't wait. You guys come down to Miami. I get to come back to Orchard Park one more time."

Jordan Poyer is back in Buffalo for the Hyde softball game. He addressed the crowd after he participated in the Home run derby. #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/jCkgurxDFb

— Paul Kasprzak (@Kasprzak1789) May 19, 2024

Of course, Poyer may be a little biased after spending more than a half-decade with Allen in the Bills locker room.

By any objective measure, Patrick Mahomes wears the crown as the NFL's best quarterback. He's won back-to-back Super Bowl MVPs and already has three Lombardi trophies on his mantle. The Bills have also lost to the Chiefs in three of the last four postseasons.

Buffalo released Poyer in March and he signed a one-year contract with the rival Dolphins, who have their own Pro Bowl quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa. Poyer's new Miami teammates will also likely raise their eyebrows as the safety's praise of Allen, particularly given the fact he'll be asked with stopping his former teammate next season.

That said, it's hard to imagine anyone having hard feelings about Poyer doing a little pandering to the Buffalo crowd during a softball game for charity.

Fresh off a fourth consecutive AFC East title and fifth straight playoff appearance, the Buffalo Bills enter the 2024 season looking to win a fifth consecutive division title for the first time in franchise history.

Buffalo has yet to reach a Super Bowl under quarterback Josh Allen and head coach Sean McDermott, but the Bills have become a perennial playoff team and have won at least one playoff game in each of the past four seasons.

The Bills fell at home to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round last season, marking the third time in the past four years that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have ended their season.

That prompted a big change this offseason, as the Bills traded four-time Pro Bowl and one-time First Team All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.

Buffalo will look to finally get over the hump in 2024, and here is a rundown of the schedule it will be tasked with traversing.

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2024 Buffalo Bills Schedule

𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄‼️

📺: 8PM on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/hjYftHPLQK

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 16, 2024

It’s a simple life for @JoshAllenQB across the street.@Ticketmaster | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/PEgQEzzOL3

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 16, 2024

Full schedule information available on the team's official website

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Analysis

As a perennial AFC East champion, the Bills are once again playing a first-place schedule in 2024, meaning they have some tough opponents on their hands.

Buffalo figures to be favored in most or all of its eight home games, although matchups with the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers may essentially be coin flips.

On the road, the Bills have to face five teams that made the playoffs last year, including a Baltimore Ravens team that was the No. 1 seed in the AFC and reached the AFC Championship Game, and a Detroit Lions team that reached the NFC Championship Game.

Buffalo will go into battle with many of the key players from last year's team, including Allen, running back James Cook, tight end Dalton Kincaid, defensive tackle Ed Oliver and linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard, but there were some significant changes to the roster this offseason as well.

Most notably, the Bills traded Diggs to the Texans on the heels of him earning four Pro Bowl selections in his four seasons in Buffalo.

That forced the Bills to reshape their receiving corps, and they did so by signing Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins in free agency, and selecting Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Bills also cut several key veterans from last year's team in order to become salary cap compliant, including center Mitch Morse, cornerback Tre'Davious White and safety Jordan Poyer.

While replacing those players won't be easy, they were aging and some were exiting their prime, so the moves may have been a necessary evil in terms of getting younger and more athletic on both sides of the ball.

Given the sheer amount of quality teams on the Bills' schedule in 2024 both inside and outside their division, the viability of the changes general manager Brandon Beane made will be put to the test.

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Pivotal Matchups

Every week is significant in the NFL, but it can be argued that none will be bigger for the Bills in 2024 than their divisional matchups.

Although the New England Patriots did upset the Bills once last season, they finished 4-13 and were last in the AFC East, so it is likely that Buffalo's meetings with the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets will have a bigger hand in how the AFC East standings shake out.

The Dolphins have been nipping at the heels for the past couple of seasons, coinciding with their acquisition of superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs.

Miami seemingly had Buffalo dead to rights with regard to the division last season, but the Dolphins lost three of their final five regular-season games, including a home loss to the Bills in Week 18 to lose the division.

The Dolphins had some big losses this offseason, including defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but with an explosive offense led by Hill, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and running backs De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert, they will still be a factor.

The Jets were finally expected to be a player in the AFC East last season following the acquisition of future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but he suffered a torn Achilles on the Jets' first offensive series of the season.

Rodgers is expected to be fully healthy by the start of the 2024 season, plus general manager Joe Douglas was hard at work this offseason, adding key players such as wide receiver Mike Williams, offensive tackle Tyron Smith and pass-rusher Haason Reddick.

The Jets' defense has given the Bills issues in recent years even with New York struggling on offense, so even a slightly above average New York offense could pose a huge threat to Buffalo's reign atop the AFC East.

Lastly, while not a divisional matchup, all eyes will be on the Bills' road game against the Texans since it will be Buffalo first game against Diggs.

Additionally, quarterback C.J. Stroud is a rising star at quarterback for the Texans, and Houston is looking like the next contender in the AFC, joining the likes of the Bills, Chiefs, Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

Diggs and the Texans can prove a lot by beating the Bills, but if Buffalo wins that game, it could potentially go a long way toward showing that Allen's NFL success has not been solely due to Diggs' presence.

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman says he doesn't plan to celebrate his move up north from Tallahassee with the purchase of a snowmobile.

"I don't know, man. That's a little dangerous," Coleman told ESPN's Adam Schefter when asked about snowmobiles in Tuesday's episode of The Adam Schefter Podcast. "I like wheels. If it ain't got wheels, I ain't really tryna ride it. That's a lot of machinery. If anything, I'm gonna get a snowplow before a snowmobile."

Bills rookie WR Keon Coleman is apprehensive about getting a snowmobile in Buffalo because, as he said, “that’s a little dangerous. I like wheels. If it ain’t got wheels, I ain’t really trynna ride it.”

🎧 https://t.co/i9jBta0LxS pic.twitter.com/mScfVN2MsI

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 14, 2024

The Bills selected Coleman with the No. 33 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Had it been the Denver Broncos calling his name in April, Coleman said he would have considered the snowmobile purchase.

"They don't have no mountains out here," Coleman said. "If this was somewhere like up in Denver, somewhere you could go up on a slope or something, I'd get it."

In 12 games as a starter for Florida State last season, Coleman hauled in 50 passes for 658 yards while leading the ACC with 11 touchdowns. He added another 300 yards on 25 punt returns.

The Bills are hoping he will continue those production levels as a top target for quarterback Josh Allen next season, so the team is probably happy to hear Coleman will be staying away from snowmobiles this winter— although the NFL rookie noted he would "for sure" consider driving a four wheeler.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling has reportedly found a new home.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the veteran wide receiver is visiting with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday and is expected to sign with the team.

Bills are giving former Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling a one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million, including a $1.125 million signing bonus, per source. https://t.co/ktwuCM7r5x

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 14, 2024

🏁 https://t.co/xAc4VDqK3f

— Marquez V-S (@MVS__11) May 14, 2024

The move comes after the Kansas City Chiefs release Valdes-Scantling in March to save $12 million against the 2024 salary cap.

MVS had spent the last two seasons of his career in Kansas City, helping the Chiefs become the first team since the New England Patriots to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles.

The 29-year-old has proven to be a reliable veteran target. He caught 42 passes for 687 yards and two touchdowns in 2022 and 21 passes for 315 yards and one score in 2023.

Valdes-Scantling's performance in the postseason over the last two years has perhaps been more impressive. He caught seven passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns in the 2023 playoffs and caught eight passes for 128 yards and one score in the 2024 postseason.

Valdes-Scantling began his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers as a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft. He caught 123 passes for 2,153 yards and 13 touchdowns in 59 games across four seasons with the Packers.

The South Florida product now figures to be an impactful member of the Bills' offense alongside Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and rookie second-round pick Keon Coleman following the trade of Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. He brings with him plenty of playoff experience, which will be good with the Bills hoping to make a deep playoff run in 2025.

Buffalo has won four consecutive AFC East titles, but it has been eliminated from the playoffs by the Chiefs three times during that stretch.

Perhaps signing a player who experienced plenty of winning at a high level in Kansas City is just what the Bills need in order to get over the hump.