The Buffalo Bills got a new weapon for Josh Allen, but it may prove to be a risky move by general manager Brandon Beane.
The Bills signed former Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer to a three-year contract worth $36 million on Monday, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. $18 million of the contract is guaranteed money.
SI’s Matt Verderame has been grading all the moves in the offseason, giving the Palmer signing a C. Verderame said while there is upside that the deal could work, there is some concerns about it as well.
“With Amari Cooper hitting free agency, the Buffalo Bills had to find a replacement. It appears they have done so with Josh Palmer.”
“Buffalo is hoping Palmer can play opposite Keon Coleman on the perimeter while the newly extended Khalil Shakir handles the slot.”
“If he can stay healthy, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane could have a quality signing on his hands. But it’s a risk.”
Palmer is coming off the second-best season of his career with 584 yards on 39 receptions and one touchdown. He has missed eight games in his career as he has caught 182 passes for 2,287 yards and 10 touchdowns in four years.
Palmer’s strongest aspect is his ability to separate from defenders and create big plays. Fantasy football writer Scott Barrett shared how this is Palmer's strength as he was 10th in the NFL in route win rate. Cooper was first on the Bills in that same category, but ranked 61st in the league.
Buffalo hopes he will complement Shakir and Coleman well as the stretch guy. The question will be whether the Bills made the right decision to sign Palmer over bringing back Cooper.
