How much will Greg Rousseau earn in 2024 (and when can he sign an extension)?

The Buffalo Bills have already made a decision this offseason on former first-round pick Greg Rousseau, but they may not have done so yet. The Bills drafted Rousseau in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and since then he has essentially been a full-time starter with 46 starts over the first three seasons.

He will once again be one of the starting defensive ends and will remain in Buffalo through the 2025 season after the Bills picked up the fifth-year option this offseason. According to Spotrac, Rousseau will have a cap hit of $3.7 million this year, which will then jump to $13.4 million next year due to the fifth-year option, which is a fully guaranteed salary.

Technically, the Buffalo Bills could already begin negotiating a contract extension as teams are allowed to start after their third season. However, neither team necessarily needs to be rushed and that could wait until next season.

Rousseau has a big pay raise for the 2025 season and it’s fully guaranteed and the Bills know their starting defensive end is under contract for the next two years. However, that hasn’t stopped Brandon Beane in the past from getting an extension early.

In 2021, the Bills picked up Josh Allen’s fifth-year option in May, but would negotiate a contract extension a few months later. This can definitely be an advantage for teams, as they can reduce the cap hit during this fifth-year option season and extend that money over the life of the contract.

It might make sense to do this now in case Rousseau has a breakout season this upcoming season and also creates cap space to use next offseason.