The Buffalo Bills have locked down one of their best defensive players for the future. On Monday, ESPN reported that Buffalo had signed All-Pro cornerback Taron Johnson to a three-year extension. The extension reportedly makes him the NFL's highest-paid nickel corner.
Johnson had one more year remaining on his deal, so this new extension carries him through 2027. The Bills were of course forced to cut ties with several defensive stars earlier this offseason in order to get under the set cap number, including safety Jordan Poyer and cornerback Tre'Davious White. But, Buffalo views the 27-year-old Johnson as a pillar on defense.
Johnson passes Indianapolis Colts slot cornerback Kenny Moore II, who just signed what was a historic, three-year, $30 million extension to make him the highest-paid nickel cornerback of all time. Moore's reign lasted a total of six days.
Johnson earned his first All-Pro nod this past season after recording a career-high 98 combined tackles, one sack, eight passes defensed and three forced fumbles. The Weber State product was selected by Buffalo in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In 88 career games played for the Bills, Johnson has recorded 450 combined tackles, seven sacks, seven forced fumbles, 39 passes defensed and four interceptions.
In 2023, the Bills had the No. 9 defense (307.2 yards allowed per game), and No. 7 pass defense (196.6 passing yards allowed per game). Buffalo finished the regular season 11-6 after a 6-6 start, and became just the fourth team in NFL history to win their division after being three games back with five or fewer games left to play. However, the Bills' remarkable regular-season turnaround did not follow them into the playoffs, as Buffalo was ousted from the postseason by the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round, ending Buffalo's six-game win streak. The Bills are tied in having the second-most wins by any team in a four-season span without a Super Bowl trip all-time (48).
