Age: 26
Free Agency: 2030 (Void)
Accrued Seasons: 4
- Height: 6'1"
- Weight: 208
- College: Villanova
- Entry: 2022 Draft, Round 6, #185 overall (Bills)
- 2026 Salary Cap Charge: $7,396,000 (2.46% of cap)
- 2026 Cash Payout: $15,556,000 (4.42% of spending)
- 2026 Cash to Cap Ratio: 2.10
- Contract Value: $69,000,000 ($17,250,000 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $18,850,000
- Contract Ranking: 19/288 at CB
Current Contract
(Extension, signed 2025)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signing | Option | Regular | Per Game | ||||||||||||
| 2025 | 25 | $1,100,000 | $1,548,570 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,100,000 | $2,648,570 | 1.0% | |||||
| 2026
March 17: Option due
| 26 | $2,546,000 | $1,500,000 | $2,400,000 | $0 | $510,000 | $500,000 | $2,546,000 | $7,396,000 | 2.5% | |||||
| 2027 | 27 | $14,490,000 | $1,500,000 | $2,400,000 | $0 | $510,000 | $500,000 | $14,490,000 | $19,400,000 | 5.9% | |||||
| 2028 | 28 | $15,240,000 | $1,500,000 | $2,400,000 | $0 | $510,000 | $500,000 | $0 | $20,150,000 | 5.7% | |||||
| 2029
March 17: Roster bonus due
| 29 | $12,490,000 | $1,500,000 | $2,400,000 | $3,000,000 | $510,000 | $500,000 | $0 | $20,400,000 | -- | |||||
| 2030
February 20: Contract voids
| 30 | Void | $0 | $2,400,000 | Void | Void | Void | Void | $2,400,000 | -- | |||||
| Total | $45,866,000 | $7,548,570 | $12,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $2,040,000 | $2,000,000 | $18,136,000 | $72,394,570 | |||||||
Contract Notes
Christian Benford signed a 4 year contract extension with the Buffalo Bills worth $69 million in base value with $18.85 million fully guaranteed at signing. The contract has $40.8 million in total guarantee protections. Benford receives a $7.5 million signing bonus and fully guaranteed 2025 salary. $10.25 million of the 2026 salary is fully guaranteed at signing with another $6.796 million becoming fully guaranteed in Feb 2026 on the day after the Super Bowl. The remaining $11.99 million for 2027 becomes fully guaranteed on the 5th day of the 2026 league year. An additional $7.0 million is available through incentives and escalators. Initial details from Pro Football Talk.
Cash Flows
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Due | $5,194,000 | $15,556,000 | $15,500,000 | $16,250,000 | $16,500,000 |
| Running Cash | $5,194,000 | $20,750,000 | $36,250,000 | $52,500,000 | $69,000,000 |
Career Earnings: $11,262,614
Career APY: $2,815,654
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | Drafted | Renegotiated | 2022 | 4 | $3,854,280 | $963,570 | $194,280 | $2,662,614 | 69.1% | $887,538 |
| Bills | Extension | Active | 2025 | 4 | $69,000,000 | $17,250,000 | $18,850,000 | $8,600,000 | 12.5% | $8,600,000 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 4 | $11,262,614 | $2,815,654 | $5,262,614 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
Season History
| Year | Team | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Option Bonus | Roster Bonus | Per Game Roster Bonus | Workout Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Cash Paid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bills | $705,000 | $48,570 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $661,904 | 0.3% | $807,614 | ||
| 2023 | Bills | $870,000 | $48,570 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $918,570 | 0.4% | $870,000 | ||
| 2024 | Bills | $985,000 | $48,570 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,033,570 | 0.4% | $985,000 | ||
| 2025 | Bills | $1,100,000 | $1,548,570 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,100,000 | $2,648,570 | 1.0% | $8,600,000 | ||
| 2026 | Bills | $2,546,000 | $1,500,000 | $2,400,000 | $0 | $510,000 | $500,000 | $2,546,000 | $7,396,000 | 2.5% | $15,556,000 | ||
| 2027 | Bills | $14,490,000 | $1,500,000 | $2,400,000 | $0 | $510,000 | $500,000 | $14,490,000 | $19,400,000 | 5.9% | $15,500,000 | ||
| 2028 | Bills | $15,240,000 | $1,500,000 | $2,400,000 | $0 | $510,000 | $500,000 | $0 | $20,150,000 | 5.7% | $16,250,000 | ||
| 2029 | Bills | $12,490,000 | $1,500,000 | $2,400,000 | $3,000,000 | $510,000 | $500,000 | $0 | $20,400,000 | -- | $16,500,000 | ||
| 2030 | Bills | $25,000,000 | $0 | $2,400,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $2,400,000 | -- | $0 | ||
| Total | $73,426,000 | $7,694,280 | $12,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $2,040,000 | $2,000,000 | $18,136,000 | $75,008,614 | $75,068,614 | ||||
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | Tackles | Negative Plays | Interceptions | Fumbles | TD | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Special | Solo | Assist | Sacks | Yards | TFL | QB Hits | Pass Def. | INT | Yards | Forced | Rec. | Yards | ||||
| 2022 | 9 | 3 | 34.5% | 10.5% | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 15 | 2 | 76.9% | 7.2% | 43 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 15 | 2 | 84.5% | 7.6% | 49 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 14 | 2 | 81.1% | 15.0% | 32 | 11 | 2 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $9,557,000 | $17,250,000 |
| Injury Adjusted | $9,557,000 | $17,250,000 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
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