Jalon Kilgore had to wait a bit to hear his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft. Although he entered Day 3 of the draft as the No. 12 ranked player remaining on the board, he fell all the way to the fifth round with the Buffalo Bills selecting him number 167 overall.
With his selection, he gets to start his NFL career, and is now due for a big rookie payday in Buffalo. The fine folks at Sportrac have detailed each and every rookie contract for picks taken in the 2026 NFL Draft.Â
Per Sportrac, Kilgore will be getting a four-year deal with the Bills worth a total value of $4,708,322. It also includes a signing bonus of a cool $463,322. His Year One salary should total $1,000,831.
That's considerably less than what his former teammate, Brandon Cisse, will get with the Green Bay Packers, signing a four-year contract worth up to a total value of $9,365,008 per Sportrac. The first pick in the fifth round, USC safety Kamari Ramsey, signed with the Houston Texans for just over $4.8 million.Â
For the likes of first-round overall pick Fernando Mendoza and early first-round picks, rookie contracts are anywhere from $57 million to just over $16 million for the last pick of the first round, running back Jadarian Price with the Seahawks.  Â
Jalon Kilgore promises Bills GM he made the best pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in draft call
Sure, Kilgore got picked a bit later than expected, but getting just over $1 million in a signing bonus alone isn't too shabby. Not to mention he is entering a talented defensive backs room in Buffalo, which includes cornerbacks Christian Benford, Davison Igbinosun and Dorian Strong, as well as safeties Cole Bishop, Geno Stone, Damar Hamlin and Jordan Hancock.Â
Congrats to Kilgore on his new deal!Â
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