2026 Buffalo Bills season

2026 Buffalo Bills season
OwnerTerry and Kim Pegula
General managerBrandon Beane
Head coachJoe Brady
Home stadiumHighmark Stadium
Uniform

The 2026 season will be the Buffalo Bills' 57th in the National Football League (NFL), their 67th overall, their 12th full season under the ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula, their tenth under GM Brandon Beane and their first under head coach Joe Brady. This will be their first season since 2016 without longtime head coach Sean McDermott, as he was fired on January 19, 2026, following their defeat in the Divisional round of the 2025 season on January 17th.[1][2] The Bills will seek to improve upon their 12–5 record from the previous season, reclaim the AFC East title, and achieve their eighth straight winning season.

It is expected to be the Bills' first season playing their home games at Highmark Stadium, replacing the old previous stadium, also named Highmark Stadium, which will be demolished following the season.[3]

Offseason

Coaching changes

Following their defeat in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, the Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott.[4][5]

On January 27, 2026, the Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to be the team’s replacement for Sean McDermott. He signed a 5-year deal to become the team's head coach. Brady previously spent the past two full seasons as the Bills' offensive coordinator under McDermott. He took the OC position on an interim basis in November 2023, after being hired as the team's quarterbacks coach in 2022.[6][7]

Position Name Reason 2026 Replacement Date Ref.
Head coach Sean McDermott Fired Joe Brady January 19 [8]
Cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae Accepted job with Miami Dolphins Jay Valai January 29 [9]
Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich Accepted job with Green Bay Packers Jim Leonhard January 28 [10]
Defensive line coach Marcus West Accepted job with Tampa Bay Buccaneers Terrance Jamison January 29 [11]
Defensive quality control coach/Offensive advisor Christian Taylor Accepted job with Wyoming Cowboys Craig Robertson December 19[a] [12]
Inside linebackers coach position created John Egorugwu February 2 [13]
Linebackers coach Al Holcomb Accepted job with Las Vegas Raiders position abolished February 18 [14]
Nickel cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino Accepted job with Philadelphia Eagles position abolished February 13 [15]
Offensive assistant position created Trace McSorley February 26 [16]
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady Promoted to head coach Pete Carmichael Jr. January 27 [17]
Outside linebackers coach position created Bobby April III February 1 [18]
Offensive line coach Aaron Kromer Retired Pat Meyer January 18 [19]
Quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry Accepted job with Denver Broncos Bo Hardegree February 3 [20]
Senior assistant position created John Fox February 13 [21]
Senior defensive assistant Ryan Nielsen Accepted job with Minnesota Vikings Jason Rebrovich[b] January 31 [22]
Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor Accepted job with Miami Dolphins Jeff Rodgers January 23 [23]
Wide receivers coach Adam Henry Accepted job with Pittsburgh Steelers Drew Terrell January 28 [24]

Roster changes

Arrivals

Position Player 2025 team(s) Date signed
K Maddux Trujillo Indianapolis Colts January 6, 2026[25]
WR Jalen Virgil Arizona Cardinals February 10, 2026[26]
CB Dee Alford Atlanta Falcons March 12, 2026[27]
QB Kyle Allen Detroit Lions March 12, 2026[28]
LB Bradley Chubb Miami Dolphins March 12, 2026[29]
S C. J. Gardner-Johnson Chicago Bears March 13, 2026[30]
S Geno Stone Cincinnati Bengals March 16, 2026[31]

Departures

Position Player 2026 team Date signed Notes
CB/KR Brandon Codrington Houston Texans February 5, 2026[32] Contracts expired January 26, 2026
DE Matthew Judon — Free Agent
DE Shaq Lawson — Free Agent
WR Kristian Wilkerson — Free Agent
K Matthew Wright — Free Agent
CB Dane Jackson — Free Agent Released March 6, 2026[33]
S Taylor Rapp — Free Agent
WR Curtis Samuel — Free Agent
DE Joey Bosa — Free Agent Contracts expired March 11, 2026
WR Brandin Cooks — Free Agent
WR Gabe Davis — Free Agent
G David Edwards New Orleans Saints March 11, 2026[34]
DE A. J. Epenesa Cleveland Browns March 19, 2026[35]
FB Reggie Gilliam New England Patriots March 12, 2026[36]
S Damar Hamlin — Free Agent
DT DaQuan Jones — Free Agent
CB Cam Lewis Chicago Bears March 13, 2026[37]
LB Matt Milano — Free Agent
DT Larry Ogunjobi — Free Agent
DT Jordan Phillips — Free Agent
S Jordan Poyer — Free Agent
K Matt Prater — Free Agent
LB Baylon Spector — Free Agent
LB Shaq Thompson — Free Agent
QB Mitchell Trubisky Tennessee Titans March 12, 2026[38]
CB Tre'Davious White — Free Agent
OL Ryan Van Demark Minnesota Vikings March 20, 2026[39] Restricted Free Agent

Trades

Position Arrived From Date of trade Departed
WR D. J. Moore
2026 5th-round pick		 Chicago Bears March 11, 2026[40] 2026 2nd-round pick
CB 2026 6th-round pick Las Vegas Raiders March 11, 2026[41] Taron Johnson
2026 7th-round pick

Draft

Main article: 2026 NFL draft
2026 Buffalo Bills draft selections
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 26
2 60 Traded to the Chicago Bears[A]
3 91
4 126
5 165 From Bears
168
6 182 From Raiders[B]
208 Traded to the New York Jets
7 220 From Jets
228 Traded to the Las Vegas Raiders From Cowboys
242 Traded to the Cleveland Browns

Draft trades

  1. ^ The Bills traded a second-round selection to Chicago in exchange for a fifth-round selection and WR D. J. Moore.[42]
  2. ^ The Bills traded a seventh-round selection and cornerback Taron Johnson to Las Vegas in exchange for a sixth-round selection.[43]

Staff

Buffalo Bills staff
Front office
  • Owner/CEO/president – Terry Pegula
  • Owner – Kim Pegula
  • President of football operations/general manager – Brandon Beane
  • Assistant general manager – Brian Gaine
  • Assistant general manager – Terrance Gray
  • Senior advisor to the GM/football operations – Jim Overdorf
  • Senior personnel advisor – Malik Boyd
  • Co-director of pro scouting – Chris Marrow
  • Co-director of pro scouting – Curtis Rukavina
  • Assistant director of pro scouting – Asil Mulbah
  • Vice president of football administration – Kevin Meganck
  • Director of football operations – Brendan Rowe
  • Director of college scouting – Matt Bazirgan
  • Vice president of football research – Dennis Lock
  • Director of administration – Matt Worswick
Head coach
Offensive coaches
  
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
  • Special teams coordinator – Jeff Rodgers
  • Assistant special teams – Turner West
Strength and conditioning
  • Head strength and conditioning – Will Greenberg
  • Strength & conditioning assistant – Nick Lacy
  • Assistant strength & conditioning – Hal Luther
  • Senior strength and conditioning assistant – Barry Rubin
  • Strength & conditioning assistant – Jason Oszvart

→ Coaching staff
→ Front office
→ More NFL staffs

Current roster

Buffalo Bills roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Impending free agents (FA)

Preseason

The Bills' preseason opponents and schedule will be announced in the spring.

Regular season

2026 opponents

Listed below are the Bills' opponents for 2026. Exact dates and times will be announced in the spring.[44]

Category Home Away
Division opponents
(AFC East)		 Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Conference opponents
(AFC West)		 Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers		 Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders
Conference opponents
(based on 2025 division placement)		 Baltimore Ravens Houston Texans
Interconference opponents
(NFC North)		 Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions		 Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Interconference opponent
(based on 2025 division placement)		 No game Los Angeles Rams

References

  1. ^ Getzenberg, Alaina (2026-01-19). "Source - Bills fire coach Sean McDermott". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  2. ^ "Buffalo Bills announce Sean McDermott has been relieved of his duties as head coach". www.buffalobills.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  3. ^ Licciardi, Anthony (February 24, 2024). "Bills Reveal Key Details for New Highmark Stadium: 'Loud And Intimidating'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  4. ^ "Source - Bills fire coach Sean McDermott". ESPN.com. 2026-01-19. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  5. ^ "Buffalo Bills announce Sean McDermott has been relieved of his duties as head coach". www.buffalobills.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  6. ^ Lasting, Dante (February 4, 2022). "Bills hire Joe Brady as quarterbacks coach". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  7. ^ Skurski, Jay (November 14, 2023). "Bills fire offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey in major shakeup". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  8. ^ "Buffalo Bills announce Sean McDermott has been relieved of his duties as head coach". www.buffalobills.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  9. ^ Oliva, Mike (January 29, 2026). "Dolphins hire Bills CB coach Jahmile Addae for same role". dolphinstalk.com. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  10. ^ Kruse, Zach. "Packers hiring former Bills DC Bobby Babich as pass game coordinator". packerswire.usatoday.com.
  11. ^ Stroud, Rick (January 29, 2026). "Bucs fill 4 openings on their coaching staff, 3 under OC Zac Robinson". Tampabay.com. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  12. ^ "Christian Taylor named Wyoming football's offensive coordinator". wyomingnews.com. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  13. ^ Benton, Dan. "Buffalo Bills hiring New York Giants inside LB coach John Egorugwu". giantswire.com. Giants Wire. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  14. ^ Williams, Tony (February 18, 2026). "Raiders Hiring Al Holcomb As Senior Defensive Assistant". NFLtraderumors.co. NFL Trade Rumors. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  15. ^ McMullen, John (February 13, 2026). "Eagles Set To Hire Mike Pellegrino As A Defensive Backs Coach". Si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  16. ^ Miller, Ryan (February 26, 2026). "Buffalo Bills hire former NFL QB as offensive assistant to reunite with Joe Brady". democratandchronicle.com. Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  17. ^ Getzenberg, Alaina (January 27, 2026). "Bills promote OC Joe Brady to head coach on 5-year deal". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  18. ^ Callaghan-Croley, Dylan (February 1, 2026). "Minnesota Rush Ends coach Bobby April hired by Buffalo Bills". on3.com. Gophers Nation. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  19. ^ Reed, Josh (January 18, 2026). "Respected Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer is retiring". WIVB.com. Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  20. ^ Simmons, Myles (February 3, 2026). "Report: Bo Hardegree to join Bills as QBs coach". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  21. ^ Comeaux, Jonathan (February 13, 2026). "Bills Officially Hire 20 Assistants To Coaching Staff". NFL Trade Rumors. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  22. ^ Bretl, Paul (January 31, 2026). "Former Jaguars' coordinator reportedly lands on Vikings coaching staff". Jagswire.com. USA Today. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  23. ^ Thames, Alanis (January 23, 2026). "Dolphins hire Atlanta's Kyle Smith as assistant GM and Buffalo's Chris Tabor to lead special teams". AP.com. Associated Press. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  24. ^ Popejoy, Curt (January 28, 2026). "Steelers hire Bills WRs coach Adam Henry". steelerswire.usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  25. ^ "Bills' Maddux Trujillo: Lands with Buffalo". CBSSports.com. CBS Sports. January 6, 2026. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  26. ^ "Bills' Jalen Virgil: Headed to Buffalo". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. February 10, 2026. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  27. ^ Glab, Maddy (March 12, 2026). "Bills sign cornerback Dee Alford to three-year contract". Buffalo Bills.
  28. ^ Ciano, Sydney (March 12, 2026). "Bills sign quarterback Kyle Allen on two-year deal". Buffalo Bills.
  29. ^ White, Alec (March 12, 2026). "Buffalo Bills sign linebacker Bradley Chubb to three-year deal". Buffalo Bills.
  30. ^ White, Alec (March 13, 2026). "Bills sign safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson". Buffalo Bills.
  31. ^ Ciano, Sydney (March 16, 2026). "Bills sign safety Geno Stone to one-year deal 'They're going to use me to my strengths'". buffalobills.com. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  32. ^ Wilson, Aaron (February 5, 2026). "Sources: Texans sign former Bills, Jets defensive back, return specialist Brandon Codrington". click2houston.com. Graham Media. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  33. ^ Ciano, Sydney; White, Alec (March 6, 2026). "Buffalo Bills release longtime CB Taron Johnson, three others ahead of free agency". buffalobills.com. Buffalo Bills. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  34. ^ "Saints agree to terms with guard David Edwards". neworleanssaints.com. New Orleans Saints. March 11, 2026. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  35. ^ Miller, Ryan (March 19, 2026). "Bills lose longtime pass rusher to Browns in free agency". Democrat & Chronicle.
  36. ^ "Patriots Announce Free Agent Signings". New England Patriots. March 12, 2026.
  37. ^ "Chicago Bears re-sign Jones, sign Lewis and Street". chicagobears.com. Chicago Bears. March 13, 2026. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  38. ^ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Sign Veteran QB Mitchell Trubisky". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  39. ^ Kliefield, Rob. "Vikings Sign T Ryan Van Demark". Vikings.com. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  40. ^ White, Alec (March 11, 2026). "Buffalo Bills officially acquire wide receiver DJ Moore from Bears via trade". Buffalo Bills.
  41. ^ White, Alec (March 11, 2026). "Buffalo Bills trade CB Taron Johnson to Las Vegas Raiders in pick swap". Buffalo Bills.
  42. ^ White, Alec (March 11, 2026). "Buffalo Bills officially acquire wide receiver DJ Moore from Bears via trade". Buffalo Bills.
  43. ^ White, Alec (March 11, 2026). "Buffalo Bills trade CB Taron Johnson to Las Vegas Raiders in pick swap". Buffalo Bills.
  44. ^ "2026 NFL season: Team-by-team opponents for every game". NFL.com. Retrieved 5 January 2026.

Notes

  1. ^ Taylor accepted the position in December, he left the Bills at the end of the season.
  2. ^ Rebrovich was promoted by the Bills to this position
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