INDIANAPOLIS 鈥 The Buffalo Bills made a move Tuesday to firm up their future.
The Bills and wide receiver Khalil Shakir agreed to terms on a four-year extension.
Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir had career highs in receptions and yards this past season.
NFL Network鈥檚 Ian Rapport reported that the deal is worth up to $60.2 million, including $32 million guaranteed at signing.
The move keeps Shakir in Buffalo through 2029.
鈥淭he guy is a true lunch-pail Buffalonian,鈥 Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Tuesday. 鈥淚 mean, I know he鈥檚 not from Buffalo, but he doesn鈥檛 say anything, he just shows up every single day. He鈥檚 Mr. Dependable. And when the ball is thrown his way, he usually comes down with it. And you know, I鈥檓 sure everyone on our team that鈥檚 coming back would be excited to have Khalil. ... We鈥檙e going to count on him even more, not only on the field, but his leadership going forward.鈥
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Shakir, 25, showed great promise late in the 2023 season, and he proved himself to be one of the better slot receivers in the NFL in Year 3 this season, catching 76 passes for 821 yards and four touchdowns. Shakir led the Bills in targets (100), receptions and yards.
The Bills were ranked sixth in total yards after the catch, with Shakir leading the way. He finished No. 2 in the league in yards after catch with 605, behind only Cincinnati鈥檚 Ja鈥橫arr Chase (797).
Shakir also proved his value on screen passes. He led the team with 23 screen-pass catches for 185 yards.
Shakir鈥檚 exceptional contact balance has been on display on some big plays, the most noteworthy a 17-yard highlight-reel touchdown catch in the Bills鈥 2023 wild-card playoff victory over Pittsburgh.
Shakir鈥檚 value in 2024 was accentuated by how the offense looked in his absence in the Bills鈥 loss at Houston on Oct. 5. Without Shakir鈥檚 chains-moving presence in the middle of the field, the Bills鈥 passing attack struggled mightily in a 23-20 defeat.
A fifth-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Boise State, Shakir is the first of his Bills draft class to agree to terms on an extension. Linebacker Terrel Bernard, running back James Cook and cornerback Christian Benford are other notable members of that draft class.
Shakir鈥檚 new average annual salary puts him 23rd among NFL wide receivers.
His deal is similar to the one Atlanta gave last March in free agency to Darnell Mooney, who got $13 million a year. It鈥檚 a tad below that of Jacksonville slot receiver Christian Kirk, who鈥檚 entering the last year of an $18 million a year deal, which ranks 20th. Kirk had 236 career catches when he got the contract in 2022. Shakir has 125 career catches for 1,593 yards and seven touchdowns.
The top-paid slot receiver in the league is Detroit鈥檚 Amon-Ra St. Brown, at $30 million a year. St. Brown got his deal after recording two straight 100-plus catch seasons and making two straight Pro Bowls.
