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Bills pick up defensive tackle Ed Oliver’s 5th-year option

April 26, 2022 GMT

FILE - Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane appears during an NFL football news conference Aug. 6, 2021, in Orchard Park N.Y. If the prevailing belief has the Bills leaning toward selecting a cornerback with their opening pick of the NFL draft, Beane refuses to get boxed into a corner. (AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes, FILE)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills picked up the fifth-year option of Ed Oliver’s rookie contract in a decision on Tuesday which locks up the defensive tackle through the 2023 season.

The move represents a big boost in pay for Oliver, who is playing under a four-year, $19.6 million contract. Under NFL rules, he’s now guaranteed to make $10.7 million next year, though the two sides can negotiate a longer-term contract.

Oliver was selected ninth overall in the 2019 draft out of Houston and has gradually developed into an established starter. He’s coming off his best season in which he had four sacks and credited with 41 tackles in 17 games.

General manager Brandon Beane previously had said he intended to exercise the team’s option on Oliver.

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