Jerry Hughes Re-Signs with Bills: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The Buffalo Bills' league-best defensive line is one step closer to keeping the band together.

Free-agent defensive end Jerry Hughes and the Bills agreed to a new multiyear contract Monday, the team announced, further affirming the former bust's ascent into building-block status.

"Confirming Bills DE Jerry Hughes has agreed on a 5-yr deal to return to Buffalo. Adding, the guaranteed portion is a little over $22M," ESPN's Josina Anderson reported prior to the Bills' statement.

"The deal reportedly is worth $45 million, but a source close to the team said the amount wasn't accurate," Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News wrote earlier, which ESPN's Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com supported.

USA Today's Tom Pelissero added that the deal "maxes out at $50 million over 5 years if he hits incentives for sacks. But nothing fully guaranteed beyond 2015. "

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported more on the contract between the Bills and Hughes:

"

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the package pays out $17.625 million at signing.

The money comes from a $7 million signing bonus, a fully-guaranteed base salary of $4.625 million in 2015, and a guaranteed $6 million option bonus due in 2016.

The deal also includes a $4.525 million base salary guaranteed for injury at signing, fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2016 league year.

"

Hughes, 26, spent the last two seasons in Buffalo. Traded for linebacker Kelvin Sheppard before the 2013 season, Hughes came to the Bills after three failed seasons in Indianapolis.

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The former first-round pick out of TCU accumulated five total sacks in 40 games with the Indianapolis Colts, starting only seven of those contests.

In Buffalo, though, Hughes found his calling. Working as a situational pass-rusher in 2013, he blasted his previous career high by recording 10 sacks and emerging as perhaps the best buy-low candidate of the offseason.

He proved those numbers weren't a fluke in 2014, matching his 10-sack total while becoming part of perhaps the NFL's best defensive end duo with Mario Williams.   

The Bills led the NFL with 54 sacks and posted the league's top sack rate. They were also stellar against the run, ranking fourth in Football Outsiders' defensive line metrics. Pro Football Focus' metrics were a little less kind, with Buffalo placing seventh with its pass-rushing grades.

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No matter the metric, Hughes was among the league's best. PFF's pass-rushing-productivity metric ranked Hughes as the seventh-best 4-3 defensive end in football; only the Vikings' Everson Griffen created more quarterback hurries. Against the run, Hughes' 17th ranking in run-stop percentage was also well above the league average.

But even with that level of production, there were a number of skeptics. Playing alongside three Pro Bowlers tends to cloud some external evaluations.

Hughes' lack of production in Indianapolis also lent some credence to his teammates making his job easier than typical defensive ends.

In an interview with Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Hughes said he would look forward to proving himself without the Monstars-level teammates.

That said, Buffalo always maintained the pole position in his free agency.

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

"Just to kind of work with the guys, see how well we work together, just to know all the talent we have together, you know that we're so close," Hughes said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio's Bruce Murray and Rich Gannon (via Chris Brown of the Bills' official website).

"Just going throughout the season, replaying all the games that we've had, that we kind of went through, just so close. You definitely want to come back and continue it."

On Feb. 11, Hughes spoke on SiriusXM NFL Radio, courtesy of Rotoworld. While discussing his NFL future, he revealed his first choice was to re-sign with the Bills.

"Absolutely, just because they gave me the opportunity," Hughes said. "The group of guys we had, to be so close, you definitely want to come back and take another shot at it."

Getting the core players back together should create fear in the AFC East—especially with pass-rushing specialist Rex Ryan taking over as head coach.

The Bills were expected to make a strong push for Hughes in free agency, and Ryan's public admiration of the burgeoning star only made things easier.

With the team moving back to a 3-4 alignment under Ryan, it'll be interesting to see how this all works out. As with all major contracts, all real judgments are reserved for when the lights come on in September.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.