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Buffalo Bills sign quarterback and wide receiver before NFL free agency begins
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- Buffalo Bills sign quarterback and wide receiver before NFL free agency begins
The Buffalo Bills hired a head coach who used to run their offense. Now they've signed two players who used to play in that offense.
Buffalo signed quarterback Shane Buechele and wide receiver Jalen Virgil to one-year reserve/futures contracts, officially announced Wednesday after the deals were completed Tuesday.
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The moves bring back two players familiar with the organization. Josh Allen and Buechele are the only quarterbacks on the roster with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky scheduled to become a free agent next month.
Why the Bills could sign Buechele, Virgil before free agency
NFL free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 11.
Teams are permitted to sign players to reserve/futures contracts if those players were not on an active 53-man roster at the end of the regular season. Buechele ended the season on the Bills practice squad and Virgil was a street free agent, allowing Buffalo to secure their rights before the start of the new league year.
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Reserve/futures contracts take effect at the start of the new league year.
Shane Buechele is back
Shane Buechele drops back to pass the ball in the first half during a preseason game between Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Buechele's NFL path has included multiple stops between Buffalo and Kansas City . He was on the Bills' practice squad for the 2025 season's playoffs.
An undrafted free agent out of SMU in 2021, Buechele began his career with the Kansas City Chiefs , spending two seasons in their quarterback room behind Patrick Mahomes . He joined the Bills in 2023 after being waived by Kansas City and signed a reserve/futures contract with Buffalo in January 2024.
His 2024 season ended when he suffered a broken neck during the preseason and was placed on injured reserve.
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Buechele spent all of 2025 training camp and the preseason with the Bills, completing 25 of 30 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo's 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the preseason finale. Buffalo released him during final roster cuts in August, but brought him back to the practice squad the next day.
The Chiefs signed Buechele, 28, from the Bills' practice squad to their active roster in December 2025, giving him his first NFL opportunity. He made his debut against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18, completing 7 of 14 passes for 88 yards.
Kansas City waived Buechele after the game and he returned to Buffalo's practice squad in January for the playoffs.
Buechele has a strong relationship with Josh Allen and is likely a future coach.
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Jalen Virgil adds speed depth at receiver
Bills wide receiver Jalen Virgil pulls in a pass across the middle during training camp.
Virgil, 27, has appeared in 16 NFL games, nine with the Denver Broncos and seven with the Bills.
An undrafted free agent in 2022, Virgil recorded two receptions for 75 yards during his rookie season with Denver, including a 66-yard touchdown on his first career catch.
He was placed on injured reserve in August 2023 and later waived. Buffalo signed him to its practice squad following his release, and he eventually earned a promotion to the active roster during the 2024 season. He did not record a reception during his stint with the Bills, was released and re-signed to the practice squad for the rest of 2024.
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Virgil, who is 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, was waived by the Bills with an injury designation during training camp last year. He joined the Arizona Cardinals ' practice squad for a week in November 2025 and was selected by the DC Defenders of the United Football League last month.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills sign QB Shane Buechele and WR Jalen Virgil ahead of free agency
