The Buffalo Bills have been able to keep their heads above water in the passing game thanks, in large part, to having 2 elite tight ends in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.
How good have Kincaid and Knox been for the Bills? As good as any tight end duo in the NFL — maybe ever.
The 2 tight ends have combined 17-game averages of 123 receptions, 1,151 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns over their careers. That’s the kind of production that’s made it possible for the Bills to make the playoffs every year that they’ve had 1 or both players on the roster, with Knox taken in the 3rd round of the 2019 NFL Draft and Kincaid taken in the 1st round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Bills secured Knox’s financial future with a 3-year, $20 million restructured contract extension in March, which keeps him in Buffalo through the 2028 season. Now, it’s time for Kincaid to get paid.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano put Kincaid on his list of possible NFL “surprises” headed into 2026, predicting he’ll land a new deal, which Spotrac currently projects as a 3-year, $42.3 million extension.
“Entering his fourth season, the 2023 first-round pick has struggled to stay on the field due to various injury issues and hasn’t come especially close to matching the 73 catches or 673 yards he put up in his rookie year,” Graziano wrote on September 2. “Buffalo picked up Kincaid’s fifth-year option for 2027, so it has some time to decide what to do with him long term. But if he can deliver a fully healthy season and if his apparent offseason improvements carry into the season, he could be in line for a big payday next spring.”
What Dalton Kincaid’s Current Contract Looks Like
Kincaid, 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, was the No. 25 overall pick in 2023 and signed a 4-year, $14.2 million rookie contract. On March 30, the Bills picked up the 5th-year option on Kincaid’s contract, which would pay him approximately $8.16 million in 2027.
The projected new contract would make him the 4th-highest-paid tight end in the NFL in terms of average annual salary at $14.4 million per season — close to the total amount of Kincaid’s rookie deal.
Kincaid is coming off his 1st Pro Bowl selection in 2025 with 39 receptions for 571 yards and 5 touchdowns in just 12 games after missing 5 games due to injury.
Bills Desperate to Fix Problems at Wide Receiver
Perhaps the biggest key to Kincaid tapping into a season that will help them break the bank is something totally out of his control — how the Bills’ wide receivers perform.
Buffalo hasn’t had a 1,000-yard wide receiver since Stefon Diggs in 2023 and made a big move this offseason to reshape the passing game by trading for Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox called the addition of Moore the 1 move he “can’t wait” to see play out this season.
“This is part of the reason why we’re excited to see Allen and the Bills operate in training camp,” Knox wrote on July 2. “Another reason is the fact that Allen may finally have a new No. 1 receiver in D.J. Moore. Buffalo has lacked a true No. 1 perimeter target since trading away Stefon Diggs two offseasons ago. Allen has regularly made the most of a mediocre receiving corps, but his inability to depend on receivers getting open (and catching the ball) downfield cost the Bills in the playoffs. So, the Bills traded a 2026 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears for Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick. That move might just be enough to transform the offense into a championship-caliber unit.”
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