Tre'Davious White, Bills Agree to Reported $70M Contract; Highest-Paid CB in NFL

The Buffalo Bills and 2019 All-Pro Tre'Davious White have agreed to a four-year, $70 million contract extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Schefter noted the deal includes $55 million in guaranteed money. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN added the extension will make White the league's highest-paid cornerback.

Kevin Conner and Robert Brown, White's agents, confirmed the deal, per Schefter.

The move comes as White had a team option for 2021 before he'd be eligible for free agency in 2022.

Speaking with WGR Sportsradio 550 in March, general manager Brandon Beane acknowledged the team wanted to sign the 25-year-old to a new contract. However, nailing down the particulars could prove tricky (h/t Bills beat writer Chris Brown):

"Any guy that's been in Tre's situation that we want back and obviously Tre' is a guy we love and we want back, you do look and try and find what the value is and it's hard. It can sometimes be hard for agents too because they're trying to look at what the market is today versus what's it going to be in two years. Do they want to play it out? Do they want security now?"

Buffalo selected White with the 27th overall pick in the 2017 draft, and he put together solid seasons in 2017 and 2018. Then came his 2019 breakout. He finished with 58 tackles and tied for first in the NFL in interceptions with six.

As a team, the Bills allowed the fourth-fewest yards (195.2) and the third-lowest opponent passer rating (78.8). They were also fifth in pass defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), per Football Outsiders.

Beane alluded to the fact that finding the specific dollar value for White wasn't quite straightforward. He built a solid reputation for himself before his monster 2019 campaign.

By waiting, the Bills could see whether last year was representative of his performance going forward, or if he'll regress slightly, from being one of the league's three or four best cornerbacks to one of the top 10 at the position.

The risk behind a slow play was that White's eventual price tag would potentially only climb higher.

Darius Slay and Byron Jones helped raise the bar for cornerbacks this past offseason by virtue of their deals with the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins, respectively. Slay ($16.7 million) and Jones ($16.5 million) are the top two at the position in average salary, per Spotrac.

Jalen Ramsey is poised to reset the market as he winds down his contract with the Los Angeles Rams. Given his age (25) and track record (three Pro Bowl appearances and one All-Pro nod), Ramsey almost certainly eclipses Slay's yearly number.

The one sure thing was that Buffalo wouldn't lose White upon the expiration of his rookie deal in the same way Stephon Gilmore bolted for the New England Patriots in 2017.

Gilmore hadn't reached his first Pro Bowl until his fifth year in the league, and he didn't exactly sound like somebody who was banging down the Bills' door to re-sign when he was poised to hit the open market.

ESPN's Mike Rodak explained how things worked out for the team anyway. White, for example, came in to help replace Gilmore. Although Gilmore was the Defensive Player of the Year, it's a trade the Bills would probably make again with the benefit of hindsight.

White quickly become a cornerstone of Buffalo's secondary, and now he has the contract keeping him on the team for the long haul.