The Bills’ secondary will have a number of new faces in 2026. One of them will be veteran cornerback Dee Alford.
Team and player have agreed to a three-year pact, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. The deal is worth $21MM, he adds. Alford will collect $10MM in guarantees.
This agreement, which includes $7.88MM fully guaranteed (per OverTheCap), comes after the Bills agreed to trade slot staple Taron Johnson to the Raiders. Alford’s 2027 base salary includes a partial guarantee, with the rest locking in on Day 5 of the 2027 league year. That gives the Bills some flexibility as they make a slot cornerback change for the first time since 2018.
Johnson had resided as Buffalo’s slot corner for eight seasons. As boundary defenders and safeties came and went, Johnson was the constant in Buffalo’s secondary. But the team needed to make significant changes to move under the salary cap, especially with D.J. Moore‘s salary coming onto the payroll. As of Monday night, the Bills are still $15MM-plus over the cap.
Alford’s contract will come in a bit cheaper, though not by too much. The former Falcons slot defender’s AAV is just less than $3MM south of Johnson’s. But the Bills are also implementing a new defensive system for the first time since Sean McDermott‘s 2017 arrival. Alford will be part of Jim Leonhard‘s vision.
A former UDFA, Alford played for four defensive coordinators in four Atlanta seasons. Not being tendered as an RFA in 2025, Alford — who played for $1.5MM in 2025 — will secure a big raise after his fourth season. That slate under Jeff Ulbrich included a career-high six tackles for loss. After being charged with eight TDs allowed as the closest defender in 2024, Alford was tagged with four in 2025. His passer rating-against and completion rate-allowed numbers plummeted, though Pro Football Focus only ranked him 94th among corners last season. Nevertheless, the Bills like him for Leonard’s defense — where he will be expected to play alongside boundary CBs Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.