Bills star has the perfect response when asked why he ultimately chose Buffalo instead of testing free agency
Connor McGovern is a classy dude.
The Buffalo Bills have secured their center for the foreseeable future.
After some rumblings that Connor McGovern might be heading elsewhere, Buffalo locked in their starting center on a four-year, $52 million deal that includes $32 million in guaranteed money. Before free agency could even begin, general manager Brandon Beane got the deal done.
When speaking with members of the Buffalo Bills media group, McGovern had a perfect response as to why he chose to stay in Buffalo instead of looking for deals elsewhere. One thing is for certain: Buffalo landed a really good dude and a really good football player.
“We love the area here. We have the best neighbors,” McGovern said. “We don’t have to go look for another house. We have another baby coming in May. It makes things a lot easier. The guys in the room and the coaching staff [ . . . ] made the decision easier.”
McGovern said that Josh Allen was involved in contract talks
During the conference, McGovern admitted that quarterback Josh Allen was part of the entire process, helping the deal get pushed through. Allen is the ultimate teammate, and he just wanted what was best for his good pal and key protection up front.
“Yes, he helped both sides, and we all came to a conclusion like we’re all very happy we’re able to get this done,” McGovern said. “Don’t have to go through the craziness of free agency, so that’s nice. Hit a number that we’re all happy with [ . . . ] He’s (Josh) always calling. We’re always in contact. So he’s always checking up, and then last week he called just to be like, just check in, just make sure I was doing well before free agency. Trying to give his two cents on everything, and then just got the ball rolling from there. He was talking to both sides.”
McGovern said that a couple of million dollars wasn’t a big deal to him, meaning that he was willing to take a lesser deal with Buffalo to stay in a place that he loved instead of uprooting his life and trying to go to another team for some additional cash. Tyler Linderbaum completely reset the market for everyone, but it didn’t feel as though it was a missed opportunity for McGovern.
“I think $13 million is a whole hell of a lot of money,” McGovern said. “If me and my family can’t live off that, shame on us. Very happy, from the beginning, that was one number we had in mind, and we’re very comfortable with, and we’re happy they met it, and we’re able to stay here [ . . . ] That was a conversation me and my wife had. Really, it came down to, is a couple million dollars worth it? Is a couple million worth our happiness here?”
For McGovern, the answer was clear: Buffalo was home.
Instead of hitting the open market and chasing maybe a slightly higher payday, the veteran center chose stability and familiarity and the opportunity to continue protecting Allen in an offense he already thrives in.
In an offseason where Buffalo finds itself in a difficult situation regarding its financials, keeping one of the league’s most reliable centers in the building is a massive win.
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