Bills might have made the best free agent move nobody is talking about

This might have been the most underrated move in free agency

Sayre Bedinger

Buffalo Bills, Brandon Beane / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The last thing any other playoff teams in the AFC wanted to see this offseason was the Buffalo Bills getting better offensively. The Bills were one of the best and most consistent offenses in the league last year, highlighted of course by Josh Allen putting together an MVP season.

Allen already had a really strong supporting cast with a number of players stepping up in the absence of veteran Stefon Diggs, who was traded last offseason to the Houston Texans. The Bills managed to have a top-10 passing attack offensively despite ranking 26th in total pass attempts last season.

Even with the development of young players like Khalil Shakir (who was extended in 2025) as well as 2024 second-round pick Keon Coleman, the Bills needed to upgrade the receiver group this offseason with the departures of Mack Hollins and Amari Cooper. They made arguably the most underrated move of any team in free agency by signing Josh Palmer, a former third-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Josh Palmer could be a sneaky great addition for Buffalo Bills in 2025

WR Joshua Palmer has made quite the impression during his time with the #Bills. Cerebral player, someone who seems to take pride in every rep he takes. Leader. Think this is a guy who can help carry this entire pass-catching group to greater heights #Bills #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/ozYRvixcNi
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) June 11, 2025

Over the last two seasons with the Chargers, Palmer averaged over 15 yards per reception, so he's going to fit right in as a downfield threat for the Bills and Josh Allen. He averaged 9.3 yards per target over the last two years and has proven himself to be both an explosive downfield threat as well as a pretty good player after the catch.

At this point, we can't expect him to be a #1 receiver for the Bills or anything, but it's reasonable to assume that Palmer is going to have a bigger impact on the Bills than he was able to have for the Chargers.

Not that Justin Herbert is a bad quarterback or anything, but there might be more opportunity for Palmer to do damage and be featured in the Buffalo offense than what we saw in Los Angeles. The Bills are going to push the ball downfield much more frequently and Palmer is going to benefit from that.

This was not a great year for free agent receivers across the board in the NFL, but the Bills might have found the true gem of the class.

Sayre Bedinger

Sayre Bedinger is a site expert for FanSided who has covered the Denver Broncos since 2013. Sayre's Broncos fandom developed after his grandparents relocated to Estes Park, CO during the John Elway glory days, and that passion for the team has resulted in many years and thousands of articles covering the team. Sayre is also the site co-expert of FanSided's NFL Spin Zone, providing coverage of the entire league. He is also a contributor for FanSided's Lombardi Ave (Packers), The Landry Hat (Cowboys), and a number of other local sites covering NFL teams. Sayre was inducted into the FanSided Hall of Fame in 2017. He is also the co-host of the Locked On Broncos Podcast and has been featured as a regular contributor on Bleacher Report. Sayre is a Disney World fanatic who hopes to take his family on trips there multiple times a year.