One of the youngest receivers on the market has quickly managed to find a new home. Josh Palmer has a three-year, $36MM deal in place with the Bills, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
The Bills will pair the former Chargers supporting-caster with the recently extended Khalil Shakir and 2024 second-round pick Keon Coleman. This looks to be Buffalo’s top trio for 2025, but the team still has Curtis Samuel under contract and gave Mack Hollins plenty of snaps last season. Still, it appears Amari Cooper‘s Bills tenure will be limited to barely a half-season.
While a Giants-Palmer connection (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan) emerged just before the legal tampering period, the Bills are spending notable cash to bring in a player who had fallen out of favor with the Bolts. Palmer’s name came up in trade rumors before the 2024 deadline, as the Bolts had reduced his workload. Then again, Jim Harbaugh’s arrival cut down on Charger pass volume as a whole. Only Ladd McConkey stood out among the Chargers’ pass catchers in the accomplished HC’s first season back in the NFL.
Palmer is only 25, however, and he flashed as a replacement during Keenan Allen and Mike Williams injury spells. Williams’ September 2023 ACL tear brought Palmer into the role of WR2. He totaled 581 receiving yards that year and averaged 15.8 per catch, finishing off that season with the overmatched Easton Stick in as the Bolts’ starter (after Justin Herbert‘s thumb surgery). Palmer managed this in just 10 games, having needed an IR stint that year. In 2022, a season Allen missed nearly half of due to a nagging hamstring ailment, Palmer posted a career-high 769 receiving yards on 72 receptions.
Also supplying extensive experience out wide and in the slot, Palmer brings a versatile skillset to Buffalo. The Bills’ offense already runs through a slot receiver, as the team just gave Shakir a deal eclipsing $13MM per year. Buffalo used an egalitarian setup at WR last season, with Josh Allen spreading the ball around during a stretch that undoubtedly hurt Cooper’s free agency value. While Cooper was still viewed as in play to stay in Buffalo, Palmer — who snuck into our top 50 free agents list this year — will play with the reigning MVP in his prime.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Im okay here.
Its budget conscious and is somehow still an upgrade over cooper.
He will have big opportunity to outplay this contract.
He under performs. Hes a solid 3 but thats about it. As a 1 or 2 struggles.
Meh. Palmer is a glorified WR3 I don’t think he’s ever eclipsed 100yds in a game either
Its all about opportunity fellas.
Im not gonna argue he will be a pro bowler – but JA just won an MVP with mack Hollins and a broken amari Cooper.
Isn’t this an upgrade?
He will put up career bests.
He has 4 times. And had 99 in another.
He isn’t going to be a #1, but his skillset omplements Shakir, Coleman, and Kincaid well.
As a complimentary piece I agree. That’s all he is
Just hand the Bills the Lombardi now.
That contract the Jags gave Christian Kirk is still causing aftershocks around the NFL