Kelvin Benjamin's Bills Contract Extension Won't Be Considered Until Summer

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the team is not planning on extending wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin's contract until at least the summer. 

"We really haven't focused on Kelvin Benjamin's contract situation," Beane said Monday on WGR550. "We'll see how he fits in with Daboll's offense and the quarterbacks over the summer, and then we'll go from there."

The Bills traded a third- and seventh-round pick for Benjamin at the 2017 NFL trade deadline. He recorded just 16 receptions for 217 yards and a touchdown in six games after the deal, struggling with both his acclimation and injuries.

The Bills will pay him $8.5 million in the final year of his rookie contract in 2018. Beane told reporters before the draft that the team was happy Benjamin was participating in offseason workouts but did not anticipate a new contract.

“Well, we don’t really get into discussions or anything,” Beane said. “Right now, we’re happy he’s here and showed up and was out there working with everybody else. That’s really where it’s at; the focus right now is on the draft.”

The Bills hired Brian Daboll as their new offensive coordinator in January. Daboll came over after a one-year stint as Alabama's offensive coordinator in which he helped lead the Tide to a national championship. He previously served as an offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Browns, Dolphins and Chiefs all chose to move on from Daboll in relatively short timeframes. His stints in Miami and Kansas City lasted just one season.

Benjamin has not put up 1,000 receiving yards since his rookie season and has had a career mired with injuries. In addition to his issues last season, he missed all of 2015 after suffering a torn ACL.

There's no real evidence he can produce like a true No. 1 receiver, so it's smart the Bills hold off here before making a long-term commitment. Trading two draft picks for him in the first place already looks like an overpay, but doubling down by adding a new contract to the mix would be bad organizational philosophy.