Bills waste no time bringing back one of their own and a key piece to the team in 2026 and beyond
A sneaky good move by the organization.
The Buffalo Bills are wasting no time filling out their roster and the coaching staff heading into 2026. New head coach Joe Brady has been busy, as during the first few days of the NFL Combine, it has been reported that the team finalized a deal to bring in former Penn State quarterbacks coach Trace McSorley. The team wasn’t done there, as more news from the Combine had broken.
Buffalo is bringing back core special teams player Sam Franklin Jr. to a three-year deal, worth up to $7.5 million. Franklin recorded 13 tackles as a core special teamer last season, and the deal includes $5 million in the first two years. A key piece on the special teams unit returns for the next few seasons.
Sam Franklin Jr. returns to Buffalo for the foreseeable future
Franklin Jr. joined the Bills last August, signing to the practice squad before moving to the active roster ahead of the start of the season. During 2025, he went on to play in all 17 games. As ESPN reported, Franklin was on the field for 75.8% of the special teams snaps.
He originally joined the league as an undrafted rookie out of Temple and spent the first five seasons of his career with the Carolina Panthers. However, it was in Buffalo where he truly found his footing. In fact, looking at his snap counts, Franklin Jr. played the most snaps of his career during his lone season in Buffalo.
He was on the field for 373 special teams snaps; his previous high was 357 in the 2022 season with the Carolina Panthers. PFF gave him a 56.8 grade for his performance in 2025.
Buffalo had been busy in the early stages of the 2026 offseason, extending offensive lineman Alec Anderson and defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis to one-year deals.
None of these moves are the flashy, headline-grabbing extensions fans might be waiting for, but they matter. Championship rosters aren’t built only through splash trades and marquee free agents; they’re built by locking in depth, continuity, and culture.
By bringing back a core special teams contributor and adding to the coaching staff, Buffalo is showing that the little things still matter. And for a team that was inches away from the AFC Championship game, tightening the margins might be exactly what pushes them over the top in 2026.
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