In 2019, the Buffalo Bills made Ed Oliver one of the centerpieces of their now-successful rebuild. By drafting the defensive tackle at No. 9 overall, the Bills made it clear they had designs on Oliver anchoring a championship defense.
Four seasons later, that reality hasn’t come to fruition, and it certainly feels like Buffalo will trade Oliver. (Perhaps for DeAndre Hopkins or Jerry Jeudy?)
For now, Oliver will enter next season as a member of the Bills while playing on a fifth-year option the Bills picked up last spring. But just because the Bills locked Oliver in for 2023 contract-wise, that doesn’t mean they’ll keep him around long-term. Because after next year, he’ll be seeking an extension: one Buffalo doesn’t seem keen on giving him.
Why?
Among other reasons, the 25-year-old has never qualified for a Pro Bowl or recorded more than five sacks in a season. In other words, he’s been far from the disruptive force the Bills had hoped for when selecting him in 2019.
So when Oliver posted a series of Instagram stories where he’s making plays against all four NFC North teams in 2022 — the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears — it sure seemed like he was saying goodbye to Buffalo. After all, per Pro Football Reference, those were some of the only games where he disrupted the backfield last season.
The stories are as follows:
The Bills are entering the next phase of the Josh Allen era, one where they’ll have to learn a lot of lessons on how to improve moving forward. In due time, Oliver might not be a part of any Buffalo plans.