Bills free agency tracker: Live rumors, news, updates on signings to help Josh Allen

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Bills free agency tracker: Live rumors, news, updates on signings to help Josh Allen

March 12, 2026

Bills free agency tracker: Live rumors, news, updates on signings to help Josh Allen originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Buffalo Bills enter a pivotal offseason.

They finally made the big switch at head coach, firing Sean McDermott and promoting Joe Brady. They still haven’t reached a Super Bowl with Josh Allen at quarterback. Free agency, and the draft to follow, will be crucial.

There’s a problem, though. The Bills don’t have much cap space, if any, depending on how they restructure certain contracts.

They already got some business done before free agency, at least.

MORE: C heck out our full NFL free agency tracker here

One key move: They traded for DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears to become Allen’s new No. 1 WR.

They also re-signed center Connor McGovern, one of Allen’s best friends and a key cog on the offensive line.

Now, they’ll see what kinds of improvements they can make on the margins.

MORE: Steelers have a QB plan B if Aaron Rodgers retires

Bills free agency rumors, news, live updates

Refresh for the latest. All times in ET.

THURSDAY

6:40 p.m.: The Bills are signing safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year contract for $6 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

3:45 p.m.: Mike Evans shared with reporters at his 49ers unveiling that he did also consider the Bills in free agency.

3:20 p.m.: The Bills and Raiders both wanted to sign fullback Adam Prentice, but he stuck with the Broncos instead, according to this report.

3:15 p.m.: The Bills have announced Bradley Chubb’s signing and referred to him as an outside linebacker.

3:05 p.m.: The Bills’ new cornerback signing intercepted Josh Allen last season.

2:24 p.m.: Still no signings since the Chubb move. Of note: DJ Moore met with reporters today and seems pumped to join Buffalo and play with Josh Allen.

12:50 p.m.: Looking ahead to the draft: The Bills are looking into an intriguing linebacker, Kaleb Elarms-Orr out of TCU.

8:30 a.m.: Joey Bosa is a free agent, and ESPN has given him a high ranking in its remaining FAs list.

6:45 a.m.: Over The Cap lists updated salary cap space for every team in the NFL — although it’s a moving target and hasn’t necessarily accounted for every free agent signing or release yet. But for what it’s worth, the Bills have negative $4 million in space as the site stands at the start of Thursday. That can likely be cleared with further restructures, like DJ Moore or Dion Dawkins.

WEDNESDAY

11:45 p.m.: As things wind down on the first day of free agency officially being open, there are still a lot of big-name free agents out there. The likes of Kyler Murray, Jauan Jennings, Stefon Diggs, Joel Bitonio, Joey Bosa, Jaquan Brisker, Dallas Goedert and more are still out there.

10:40 p.m.: If Bills fans thought the Chubb signing would spark an avalanche of moves, well, it hasn’t. Crickets since then.

4:20 p.m.: The Bills make a splash, finally, signing edge rusher Bradley Chubb for three years and $43.5 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. You can read more about the Chubb signing at this link.

3:45 p.m.: Bills fans are not thrilled on social media with Brandon Beane.

3:30 p.m.: The Bills have tendered a $3.5 million contract to offensive lineman Ryan Van Demark, which will keep him around rather than let him go to free agency. News reported by Sal Maiorana of the Democrat and Chronicle.

2:45 p.m.: Potential safety help is off the board: Kevin Byard has signed with the Patriots, making it even worse as the AFC East rival picks up a guy with 36 career INTs.

1:30 p.m.: There are still a lot of possible defensive targets for the Bills in free agency, with a list of 14 here at this link.

1:20 p.m.: A good reminder on X from NFL analyst Kevin Massare: “Apparently another reminder needed on NFL Free Agency. It doesn’t END at 4pm. It STARTS then. There’s a large list of players who are currently unsigned that will greatly help good football teams this year.”

1:10 p.m.: One name not being talked about much: Damar Hamlin. He’s a free agent, and it’s not clear what his future holds.

11:58 a.m.: The Bills might need an offensive guard to replace David Edwards. Chris Paul from the Commanders is an option, and here’s more about the guy who shares a name with the future NBA Hall of Famer.

11 a.m.: You can read more at this link about why Josh Allen’s contract restructure savings were so much less than Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.

10:35 a.m.: The Bills were close to getting Trey Hendrickson, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, but missed out in the end to the Ravens.

9:50 a.m.: The Bills are restructuring Josh Allen’s contract in a move that creates $12 million of cap space in 2026, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

8:40 a.m.: The latest Crosby saga element is that the Ravens, after backing out of their deal for him, are pursuing Trey Hendrickson, a player the Bills also have been linked to. There’s a lot to stay tuned to in the pass rusher market.

6:45 a.m.: It’s a big day in the NFL free agent process. No deals are actually official yet. At 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) on Wednesday, contracts can become official and players can fully join their new teams. That’s when teams will start making lots of announcements on social media. This is also the day many releases can become official across the league, which could create the potential for more deals.

TUESDAY

11 p.m.: One thing worth noting is that the Bills could have more moves coming soon because certain releases don’t actually process until the league year begins on Wednesday. That’ll impact available players and cap room.

10:45 p.m.: A small Crosby update — ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Raiders are “listening to offers” from other teams. He didn’t name names.

8:05 p.m.: Something to monitor. The Ravens have pulled out of the Maxx Crosby trade with the Raiders. The Bills were previously linked to a Crosby trade. It’s not clear where this goes from here.

5:20 p.m.: If any team wanted to get weird with a running back addition, Devonta Freeman wants to make an NFL comeback. But he’s 34, so that would be quite the thing.

5:02 p.m.: Cam Lewis is leaving the Bills to sign with the Chicago Bears, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

4:40 p.m.: If the Bills want a linebacker, it won’t be Lavonte David. He’s made clear he’ll either retire or sign with the Bucs, no one else.

4:05 p.m.: A new rumor suggests the Bills have looked into signing Trey Hendrickson.

3:40 p.m.: The Bills have been linked to 49ers WR Jauan Jennings, which would certainly be a big-time acquisition, but he might be too expensive.

1:45 p.m.: If the Bills want to add a linebacker, they could pursue a couple of all-time greats. Read more about that duo here.

11:30 a.m.: The Bills have signed Dawson Knox, their tight end, to a new three-year contract. This likely moves money around to help against the cap, although the report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler doesn’t specify.

10:45 a.m.: Something to note as the free agency tampering window continues into a second day: Things will definitely be slower today. Guys that weren’t signed immediately usually weren’t signed immediately for a reason. Either they really are taking their time intentionally, or they don’t have the interest they want. Plenty more deals will come, but they could be stretched out over the next handful of days.

8:37 a.m.: The Bills might need to sign a linebacker on Tuesday, because that’s a spot their depth is currently lacking.

8 a.m.: The Bills have restructured Tyler Bass’ contract, via Over The Cap: “The Bills and Tyler Bass agreed to a revised contract. Bills guarantee $1M in return for $1.5M pay cut. Chance to earn back $1M via incentives.”

7:55 a.m.: A non-free agency thing to keep an eye on with Buffalo: Keon Coleman. Read at this link about the latest that could happen with the young wide receiver.

7:30 a.m.: One re-signing to catch up with from overnight — the Bills are bringing back punter Mitch Wishnowsky, via The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

6:45 a.m.: A couple key things to note as Tuesday gets underway. Free agency operates much the same way today as it did Monday. It’s still the “legal tampering” period. Deals can’t be made official until Wednesday. There are still a good chunk of free agents on the board, so more news should emerge throughout the day.

MONDAY

11:33 p.m.: Without a lot of cap space, the Bills made two decent moves on the first day of free agent negotiations. It’ll be interesting to see if the Bills add a depth WR, among other moves, as the week goes on.

7:37 p.m. ET: The Bills get their backup QB replacement after Mitchell Trubisky’s departure. Kyle Allen signs a two-year, $4.1 million deal to be QB2 behind Josh Allen, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

5:08 p.m. ET: The Bills upgrade at cornerback with Dee Alford from the Falcons on a three-year, $21 million deal. The report came from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

4:30 p.m. ET: Even the slow-moving Cowboys reached a reported agreement. Still nothing for the Bills.

4 p.m. ET: You can read more at this link about why the Bills aren’t doing anything.

3:40 p.m. ET: One possible backup QB option is off the market. Marcus Mariota has re-signed with the Commanders.

3:15 p.m.: Old friend Tremaine Edmunds, recently released by the Bears, has signed with the New York Giants.

2:20 p.m.: News that Mike Evans is leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign with the San Francisco 49ers is shocking. It also officially removes Buffalo from possibly ending up with Evans.

2:10 p.m.: The Bills lose their other key offensive line free agent, David Edwards, who signs with the Saints, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

1:15 p.m.: The Pats strike a blow to division rival Buffalo by signing their reliable fullback, Reggie Gilliam, to a reported three-year, $12 million contract.

1:12 p.m.: The Titans have a backup QB. Mitchell Trubisky has signed from Buffalo, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, on a two-year deal.

Bills free agent signings

About 26 hours after the Chubb signing, the Bills have added safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Bradley Chubb signs a three-year deal to add a big pass rushing boost.
The Bills made a small move to keep lineman Ryan Van Demark around, giving him his $3.5 million contract tender.
The Bills are also making sure Dawson Knox sticks around. The tight end has a new three-year contract.
Buffalo retained its punter from the end of last season, Mitch Wishnowsky, on a new one-year deal.
There’s a new backup QB in town: Kyle Allen.
Buffalo gets a cornerback upgrade with Dee Alford on a three-year deal.
The Bills started early when they re-signed center Connor McGovern before free agency began.

Bills free agent losses

Nickelback Cam Lewis has departed for the Chicago Bears.
The Bills lose backup QB Mitchell Trubisky to the Titans.
Fullback Reggie Gilliam leaves the Bills to sign with the Patriots.
David Edwards, the offensive guard, has left for the Saints.
The Bills released these three players before free agency for salary reasons: Taylor Rapp, Curtis Samuel and Dane Jackson. They also traded Taron Johnson to the Raiders for a small pick upgrade.