BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills are keeping one of their team captains for the future, agreeing to terms with linebacker Terrel Bernard on a four-year contract extension that will keep him with the team through 2029, the team announced Friday.
Bernard’s new deal is worth $50 million with $25.2 million guaranteed, a source confirmed to ESPN. The NFL Network was first to report the terms of his deal.
Bernard is the second member of the team’s 2022 draft class the Bills have taken care of for the long term, joining wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who officially signed his own four-year extension Monday.
“To … get a ‘C’ on your chest when there’s only two given out and you’re in just your third season as a pro, I think really speaks volumes about who he is and how his teammates view him,” coach Sean McDermott said of Bernard at the NFL scouting combine, adding that there were times this past season when he thought the linebacker was trying to do too much but improved.
“We had conversations about that after the season, right? With ‘Hey, leadership comes in a lot of different forms. But first of all, you start by leading yourself.’ And he had great intentions all the way through the year. It was just, hey, let me understand this role of a captain. And then now my play starts to pick back up again. And I think we saw that towards the end of the year, particularly that Baltimore game stands out.”
Bernard was one of two team captains for Buffalo last season, along with quarterback Josh Allen. The 25-year old was a third-round pick out of Baylor in the 2022 draft. He took over the team’s starting middle linebacker job following the departure of 2018 first-round draft pick Tremaine Edmunds in the 2023 offseason.
Bernard has started 30 games over the past two seasons, recording 5 interceptions, 8 passes defensed, 4 fumble recoveries, 7.5 sacks and 269 tackles.
His signing continues the Bills’ approach of drafting, developing and extending their own players. Other members of the draft class eligible for an extension include running back James Cook and cornerback Christian Benford.
