2026 Buffalo Bills season
American football team season
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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 with Joe Brady as head coach. This will be their first season since 2016 without longtime head coach Sean McDermott, as he was fired on January 19, 2026, following their overtime defeat against the Denver Broncos in the 2025-26 Divisional round.[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.
OwnerTerry and Kim Pegula
Home stadiumHighmark Stadium
| 2026 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| |
| Owner | Terry and Kim Pegula |
| General manager | Brandon Beane |
| Head coach | Joe Brady |
| Home stadium | Highmark Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 0–0 |
| Uniform | |
 | |
This will be the Bills' first season playing their home games at Highmark Stadium, replacing the old previous stadium, also named Highmark Stadium, which is in the process of demolition.[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] |
| C/G | Austin Corbett | Carolina Panthers | March 26, 2026[32] |
| C | Lloyd Cushenberry | Tennessee Titans | March 26, 2026[32] |
| WR | Trent Sherfield | Denver Broncos | March 26, 2026[32] |
| FB | Ben VanSumeren | Philadelphia Eagles | April 29, 2026[33] |
| LB | Mike Danna | Kansas City Chiefs | May 11, 2026[34] |
| TE | Shane Zylstra | Detroit Lions | May 12, 2026[35] |
| LB | Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles | New York Giants | May 27, 2026[36] |
| WR | Mac Dalena | Seattle Seahawks | June 1, 2026[37] |
| WR | Deven Thompkins | Atlanta Falcons | June 11, 2026[38] |
| RB | Ian Wheeler | Louisville Kings (2026) | June 18, 2026[39] |
| WR | Quentin Skinner | New York Jets | July 14, 2026[40] |
Departures
Trades
| Position | Arrived | From | Date of trade | Departed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | D. J. Moore 2026 5th-round pick | Chicago Bears | March 11, 2026[51] | 2026 2nd-round pick |
| CB | 2026 6th-round pick | Las Vegas Raiders | March 11, 2026[52] | Taron Johnson 2026 7th-round pick |
Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Traded to the Houston Texans[A] | |||
| 28 | Traded to the New England Patriots[B] | From Texans[A] | |||
| 31 | Traded to the Tennessee Titans[C] | From Patriots[B] | |||
| 2 | 35 | T. J. Parker | DE | Clemson | From Titans[C] |
| 60 | Traded to the Chicago Bears[D] | ||||
| 62 | Davison Igbinosun | CB | Ohio State | From Broncos[E] | |
| 3 | 66 | Traded to the Denver Broncos[E] | From Titans[C] | ||
| 69 | Traded to the Tennessee Titans[C] | From Giants via Texans[A] | |||
| 91 | Traded to the Houston Texans[A] | ||||
| 4 | 101 | Traded to the Las Vegas Raiders[F] | From Titans[C] | ||
| 102 | Jude Bowry | OT | Boston College | From Raiders[F] | |
| 125 | Skyler Bell | WR | UConn | From Bears via Chiefs and Patriots[B] | |
| 126 | Kaleb Elarms-Orr | LB | TCU | ||
| 5 | 165 | Traded to the Tennessee Titans[C] | From Bears[D] | ||
| 167 | Jalon Kilgore | S | South Carolina | From Texans via Eagles and Texans[A] | |
| 168 | Traded to the Detroit Lions[G] | ||||
| 181 | Zane Durant | DT | Penn State | From Lions[G] | |
| 6 | 182 | Traded to the Denver Broncos[E] | From Raiders[H] | ||
| 208 | Traded to the New York Jets[I] | ||||
| 213 | Traded to the Chicago Bears[J] | From Seahawks via Jaguars and Lions[G] | |||
| 7 | 220 | Toriano Pride Jr. | CB | Missouri | From Jets[I] |
| 228 | Traded to the Las Vegas Raiders[H] | From Cowboys[K] | |||
| 239 | Tommy Doman | P | Florida | From Eagles via Jaguars, Browns, and Bears[J] | |
| 241 | Ar'maj Reed-Adams | OG | Texas A&M | From Bears[J] | |
| 242 | Traded to the Cleveland Browns[L] | ||||
Draft trades
- The Bills traded first- (26th overall) and third- (91st overall) round selections to the Houston Texans in exchange for first- (28th overall), third- (69th overall) and fifth- (167th overall) round selections.[53]
- The Bills traded a first-round selection (28th overall) to the New England Patriots in exchange for first- (31st overall) and fourth- (125th overall) round selections.[54]
- The Bills traded first- (31st overall), third- (69th overall) and fifth- (165th overall) round selections to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for second- (35th overall), third- (66th overall) and fourth- (101st overall) round selections.[55]
- The Bills traded a second-round selection (60th overall) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a fifth-round selection (165th overall) and WR D. J. Moore.[56]
- The Bills traded third- (66th overall) and sixth- (182nd overall) round selections to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a second-round selection (62nd overall).[57]
- The Bills traded a fourth-round selection (101st overall) to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for fourth- (102nd overall) and 2027 seventh-round selections.[58]
- The Bills traded a fifth-round selection (168th overall) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for fifth- (181st overall) and sixth- (213th overall) round selections.[59]
- The Bills traded a seventh-round selection (228th overall) and CB Taron Johnson to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a sixth-round selection (182nd overall).[60]
- The Bills traded, on August 27, 2024, a 2026 sixth-round selection (208th overall) to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round selection (220th overall) and CB Brandon Codrington.[61]
- The Bills traded a sixth-round selection (213th overall) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for two seventh-round selections (239th and 241st overall).[62]
- The Bills traded, on March 12, 2025, a 2025 sixth-round selection and CB Kaiir Elam to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for 2025 fifth- and 2026 seventh- (228th overall) round selections.[63]
- The Bills traded, on October 15, 2024, 2025 third- and 2026 seventh- (242nd overall) round selections to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round selection and WR Amari Cooper.[64]
| Name | Position | College | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Acker | FB | Wisconsin | [65] |
| Gabriel Benyard | WR | Kennesaw State | |
| Cade Denhoff | DE | Clemson | |
| Jordan Dunbar | CB | Missouri State | |
| Bruno Fina | OT | Duke | |
| Theron Gaines | DT | Tennessee Tech | |
| Kody Huisman | DT | Virginia Tech | |
| Ja'Mori Maclin | WR | Kentucky | |
| Desmond Reid | RB | Pittsburgh | |
| Max Tomczak | WR | Youngstown State | |
| Kani Walker | CB | Arkansas | |
| Da'Metrius Weatherspoon | OT | Syracuse |
Staff
|
| |||||
Current roster
Preseason
| Week | Date | Time (EDT) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Network | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 15 | 1:00 p.m. | Carolina Panthers | W 29–14 | 1–0 | Highmark Stadium | WIVB | 58,528 | Recap |
| 2 | August 22 | 1:00 p.m. | at Cleveland Browns | Huntington Bank Field | WIVB | ||||
| 3 | August 27 | 7:00 p.m. | Pittsburgh Steelers | Highmark Stadium | WIVB |
Regular season
Schedule
The Bills' 2026 schedule was released on May 14, 2026.[66]
| Week | Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Network | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | 1:00 p.m. | at Houston Texans | Reliant Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 2 | September 17 | 8:15 p.m. | Detroit Lions | Highmark Stadium | Prime Video | ||||
| 3 | September 27 | 1:00 p.m. | Los Angeles Chargers | Highmark Stadium | Fox | ||||
| 4 | October 4 | 1:00 p.m. | New England Patriots | Highmark Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 5 | October 12 | 8:15 p.m. | at Los Angeles Rams | SoFi Stadium | ESPN/ABC | ||||
| 6 | October 18 | 4:25 p.m. | at Las Vegas Raiders | Allegiant Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 7 | Bye | ||||||||
| 8 | November 1 | 1:00 p.m. | Baltimore Ravens | Highmark Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 9 | November 9 | 8:15 p.m. | at Minnesota Vikings | U.S. Bank Stadium | ESPN/ABC | ||||
| 10 | November 15 | 1:00 p.m. | at New York Jets | MetLife Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 11 | November 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Miami Dolphins | Highmark Stadium | Fox | ||||
| 12 | November 26 | 8:20 p.m. | Kansas City Chiefs | Highmark Stadium | NBC | ||||
| 13 | December 6 | 4:25 p.m. | at New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 14 | December 13 | 8:20 p.m. | at Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | NBC | ||||
| 15 | December 19 | 8:20 p.m. | Chicago Bears | Highmark Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 16 | December 25 | 4:30 p.m. | at Denver Broncos | Empower Field at Mile High | Netflix | ||||
| 17 | January 3 | 1:00 p.m. | at Miami Dolphins | Hard Rock Stadium | CBS | ||||
| 18 | January 9/10 | TBD | New York Jets | Highmark Stadium | TBD | ||||
Notes
- Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
- Networks and times from Weeks 6–17 and dates from Weeks 12–17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling; games in Weeks 9, 12, 15 and 16 are exempt.[67]
- The date, time and network for Week 18 will be finalized at the end of Week 17.[67]