The Buffalo Bills were successful in keeping another one of their own Sunday.
The team announced it has re-signed wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie to a two-year contract less than 24 hours before the start of the NFL’s “legal tampering” period, when agents of impending free agents can begin negotiating with other teams.
According to a report from NFL Network, McKenzie’s contract has a total possible value of $8 million – a significant raise from the $1.127 million he earned in 2021 and a sign that a more significant role in the offense could await McKenzie in 2022.
McKenzie had an up-and-down 2021 season with the Bills. He won the kick- and punt-returner jobs coming out of training camp, but a costly fumble against Indianapolis on a kick return in a Week 11 loss led to him being benched for the next two games.
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McKenzie returned to the lineup in Week 14 against Tampa Bay, but his moment in the spotlight would come two weeks later. With slot receiver Cole Beasley out of the lineup after testing positive for Covid-19, McKenzie played 67 offensive snaps – 85% of the team total – in a must-win game over the New England Patriots.
McKenzie made the most of the opportunity, finishing with 11 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown in a win that regained control of the AFC East for the Bills.
“That was my first time sitting down in a while, and I just had to take it in, think to myself, ‘What can I do better?’ I’d just show up to practice every day and get my teammates better, and do whatever I’ve got to do to make myself better for my teammates,” McKenzie said after the win. “Those two weeks I was inactive, I just thought about things, just re-evaluated myself, and then this opportunity came around … and I felt like I just had to step up for my team.”
McKenzie is a big part of the chemistry in the Bills’ locker room. He’s jokingly referred to himself as the “face of the franchise” before. He’s not shy about a little trash talk during practice, and specifically seems to get under the skin of safety Micah Hyde quite frequently. It’s not just all fun and games with McKenzie, though. Teammates and coaches respect the work he’s put in to stick in the league.
“It’s important to him and that’s good to know,” head coach Sean McDermott said after the win over the Patriots. “It’s important to him, he’s passionate about what he does and how he does things. It’s a great testament to him the way he’s worked to get himself back to get in this position to have this opportunity and then when given the opportunity he stepped up, and I think that’s a lesson for our entire team.”
With McKenzie under contract, questions about what the Bills will do with Beasley will only grow louder. The team gave Beasley permission to seek a trade earlier this month, and McKenzie’ re-signing increases the likelihood the Bills will move on from Beasley, either by trade or release.
The Bills now have 13 players who will become unrestricted free agents at 4 p.m. Wednesday: Defensive ends Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes, Efe Obada and Bryan Cox Jr., cornerback Levi Wallace, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, running backs Matt Breida and Taiwan Jones, defensive tackles Vernon Butler Jr. and Harrison Phillips, offensive tackle Bobby Hart, guard Ike Boettger and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
