AFC East rival lands major piece from Bills’ No. 1 rushing offense in free agency move that could sting in 2026 and beyond
Well, I don’t like this one bit. Not one single bit.
The Buffalo Bills are losing one of the most important pieces of their offense in the early stages of the NFL’s free agency period. A crushing blow for Buffalo, as it makes matters worse that it was to the New England Patriots. Not fun at all.
New England has signed fullback Reggie Gilliam to a three-year deal worth up to $12 million. He gets $4.4 million in the first year of his deal as Mike Garafolo broke the news on X. Again, this stinks.
Gilliam was one of the most underrated players for Buffalo’s league-leading rushing attack and was instrumental in the success of the offense. This move could be an indication that new head coach Joe Brady is moving away from as much fullback usage as Gilliam played over 20% of the snaps in 2025.
Reggie Gilliam was named an overlooked or surprise contributor after the 2025 season
NFL.com released an article discussing one overlooked or surprise contributor from each AFC East team, with Kevin Patra including Gilliam. Gilliam was snubbed from the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams, making him generally overlooked in terms of a league-wide perspective.
“The Bills upped Gilliam’s usage significantly in 2025. He took 224 snaps, 52 more than in any of his previous five seasons in Buffalo, and it paid off — the steamrolling fullback helped open holes for the NFL’s leading rusher, James Cook, and pushed Josh Allen for numerous first downs. Gilliam was the best blocking fullback in the NFL on both run and pass plays, mashing open holes on the second level, and he didn’t allow a pressure in the passing game, per PFF. Not taking anything away from Patrick Ricard, but Gilliam should have represented the AFC in the Pro Bowl.” — Kevin Patra.
Since 2022, he has 46 out of 47 pass-blocking snaps without allowing a single pressure, according to SumerSports. Gilliam had 207 total blocking snaps in 2025, showing a clearer trust from the coaching staff to utilize him in certain packages.
In 2025, he was on the field for more than half of the team’s goal-line touchdowns and blocked for 13 rushing scores, a career high that more than doubled his previous three seasons combined.
The Patriots are getting a good one in Gilliam, as a fan favorite is now heading to a division rival in the early stages of the NFL free agency period. One of the most underrated playmakers in the entire NFL finds a new home.
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