Rest easy, Buffalo: Dion Dawkins isn't going anywhere.
The Bills' three-time Pro Bowl tackle signed a three-year extension on Monday that will make him one of the NFL's highest-paid tackles, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
The news followed a brief troll job by Dawkins, who posted an apparent farewell to Buffalo on social media shortly before news of his extension broke. Instead, he's sticking around to continue serving in a key role for a Bills team that will look fairly different in 2024 following a handful of notable cuts last week.
Buffalo is redistributing some of the salary-cap space saved toward the offensive side of the ball, where Dawkins has served as Buffalo's best blocker and the protector of quarterback Josh Allen's blindside over the last seven years. Dawkins finished in the top 22 among all tackles in the NFL in overall offensive grade in 2023, per Pro Football Focus, earning his third straight Pro Bowl nod, and was a priority for the Bills as they enter another important offseason.
With Allen's blindside protector under contract, general manager Brandon Beane can turn toward his next set of objectives as the free agency frenzy begins.