The Dallas Cowboys have not traditionally been big spenders when it comes to the linebacker position. And one NFL move just in might end up keeping it that way.
At age 25, third-round linebacker Terrel Bernard has quickly become one of the best up-and-coming players at his position. … So much so that the Buffalo Bills moved quickly to make sure they would be able to keep him moving forward.
The Bills and Bernard agreed on a four-year contract extension which keeps him in Buffalo through 2029 and worth $50 million.
The annual $12.5 million due pays him as one of the best in the game albeit slightly lower than Zack Baun’s over $17 million that was signed earlier in the week.
It was a no-brainer move for the Bills to start. Days after agreeing to a contract extension with Khalil Shakir, the Bills have clearly chosen to highlight the work of a great young player at this point.
Good for them. Now, what about the trickle-down effect in Dallas and elsewhere?
There is buzz inside The Star about Dallas being interested in Kansas City Chiefs standout Nick Bolton. The name of Robert Spillane of the Las Vegas Raiders has also been the stuff of rumors.
But our Cowboys beat writer Mike Fisher keeps coming back to Dallas ending up signing the likely affordable Eric Kendricks, who came aboard in Dallas a year ago at the affordable one-year price of $3 million.
And you look at the Baun and Bernard deals … and you see why Fish sees it that way.
Despite playing in just 13 games, Bernard tallied over 100 tackles with one sack and two interceptions. He has become a captain of the defense and kept the group rolling when Matt Milano was lost for most of the season.
He also came through in some of their biggest wins.
During Buffalo’s AFC Divisional game against Baltimore, Bernard forced a fumble with just under nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Buffalo’s offense turned the takeaway into points as they kicked a field goal on the next drive to extend their lead to and later sealed the victory.
With Bernard’s contract, the Bills have reset the market for linebackers and will put pressure on the rest of the league and teams in their own division.
The New York Jets, for example, have to pay 25-year-old linebacker Jamien Sherwood and essentially will need to overpay for him due to deals like the one Bernard got in Buffalo. Dre Greenlaw in San Francisco is another guy in this boat.
And again, Spillane and Bolton figure to benefit, too.
But maybe just not in Dallas.