Khalil Shakir

By Joe Buscaglia

The Buffalo Bills and wide receiver Khalil Shakir have agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension through the 2029 season, the team announced Tuesday.

Drafted No. 148 overall out of Boise State in 2022, Shakir is entering the final season of his rookie contract after setting career highs on the stat sheet last season. In nine starts across 15 games, the 25-year-old caught 76 of 100 targets for 821 yards and four touchdowns. That success continued during the postseason as Shakir hauled in 18 passes for 174 yards amid Buffalo’s three-game playoff trek that culminated in a loss in the AFC Championship Game.

The Bills entered the 2025 offseason knowing they’d have more cap space to work with than last offseason, but they also need to address their hefty group of five young upcoming free agents with rookie deals set to expire in 2026. In signing Shakir, they started to solve that 2026 issue as the NFL Scouting Combine began to ramp up. Even if his stats weren’t among the highest in the league, Shakir became one of the most important pieces of the Bills passing attack in 2024.

Playing primarily as the slot receiver, Shakir led the team in receiving yards in Josh Allen’s MVP season and became a critical target in late down and clutch situations for the franchise quarterback. The four-year deal keeps one of Allen’s most trusted targets in-house for the long term, and in a booming receiver market in free agency, what should be a modest cost. Once the deal is signed, Shakir will be under contract through his age-29 season, establishing him as one of the core pieces for the rest of Allen’s prime.

 

What stands out most about Shakir’s on-field ability was his consistency, dependability when targeted and underrated run-after-catch ability. While Shakir primarily lined up as the slot receiver, he also did much more than just work the middle areas of the field. He was a critical target on wide receiver screens to try and spread out a defense. When plays broke down, and Allen needed to improvise, Shakir showed a terrific knack for finding open space and, even at times, getting behind the defense for a big play. On top of all that, his contact balance to fight through tackle attempts is one of the best in the league.

While he isn’t the flashy receiver with gaudy stats, his consistency reflects the perfect embodiment of the type of glue guy the Bills have tried to keep since head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane arrived in 2017.