The Bills were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday night, losing an overtime thriller to the Broncos in Denver, 33–30.
Like a majority of teams at this juncture, Buffalo will now turn its attention to the 2026 season—and in doing so, must evaluate its roster and determine which players will (and won’t) be part of the team moving forward.
We’re going to take a look at the Bills' key free agents, potential contract casualties, and both trade and retirement candidates heading into next year, but before we get into it, here’s a brief explainer on the different types of NFL free agents:
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Unrestricted free agent: Any player with four or more accrued seasons and an expired contract. They are free to negotiate and sign with any team.
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Restricted free agent: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. RFAs are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but their original team can offer them a qualifying offer—a.k.a. tenders—that come with the Right of First Refusal and/or draft-pick compensation. If the tender is withdrawn by a team, the RFA becomes an unrestricted free agent.
- Exclusive rights free agent: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams.
With that, here’s a look at who may not return to the Bills in 2026.
Bills 2026 Free Agents
Headlining Buffalo’s list of free agents this coming offseason are linebacker Shaq Thompson and wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Additionally, Bills mainstays Gabe Davis, Reggie Gilliam, Damar Hamlin, Jordan Phillips, Jordan Poyer, Tre'Davious White and Mitchell Trubisky are up for contracts as well.
Unrestricted free agents:
- WR Brandin Cooks
- WR Gabe Davis
- LG David Edwards
- S Sam Franklin
- FB Reggie Gilliam
- S Damar Hamlin
- CB Cameron Lewis
- DL Phidarian Mathis
- DL Jordan Phillips
- K Matt Prater
- S Jordan Poyer
- S Darnell Savage Jr.
- CB Darius Slay (not with team)
- LB Shaq Thompson
- QB Mitchell Trubisky
- CB Tre'Davious White
- P Mitch Wishnowsky
Restricted free agents:
- RT Alec Anderson
- LB Baylon Spector
- RT Ryan Van Demark
Exclusive rights free agents:
- None.
Potential Contract Casualties
On top of their pending free agents, the Bills could also look to release players carrying large cap hits heading into 2026. Here’s a look at potential cut candidates based on what they're set to be owed next season (via OverTheCap):
- TE Dawson Knox ($12 million)
Trade Candidates
A pair of potential trade candidates that come to mind for the Bills are wide receiver Keon Coleman and left tackle Dion Dawkins. Coleman, a 22-year-old former second-round pick, has yet to make the kind of impact Buffalo likely envisioned when it selected him 33rd overall in the 2024 draft—hauling in just 67 passes for less than 1,000 yards over his first two seasons.
Dawkins, meanwhile, is entering his age 32 season and carries a 2026 cap hit of over $24 million.
Retirement Candidates
With every NFL offseason comes the end of several careers, as players decide to hang up their cleats rather than lace them up for one more go. For the Bills specifically, the there are a handful of candidates who are approaching their mid-30s and (and one in their 40s) who may decide to call it a career ahead of next season. Here's a look.
- DT DaQuan Jones (34)
- S Jordan Poyer (34)
- K Matt Prater (41)
- CB Darius Slay (34, not with team)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Full List of Bills’ 2026 Free Agents and Potential Trade Candidates.
