The Buffalo Bills and defensive back Taron Johnson have agreed to a three-year extension, a team source confirmed. The athlete on monday. The extension is reportedly worth $31 million, making Johnson the highest-paid nickel in the NFL.

Johnson earned second-team All-Pro honors last season after recording 98 tackles, eight passes defensed, three forced fumbles and a sack.

The Bills selected Johnson in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Since then, he has developed into an impact player for Buffalo, recording four interceptions, seven forced fumbles, and seven sacks in his six seasons.

Signing Johnson to a long-term extension was an easy decision and one that needed to get the Bills done. Over the past few years, Johnson has become an indispensable part of the defense, single-handedly allowing Buffalo to run the nickel defense as a starting back regardless of offensive personnel.

His ability to bridge the gap between pass coverage and defense on his 5-foot-11, 192-pound frame makes him one of the best at his position in the NFL. He’s one of the most irreplaceable starters on the entire roster, making him extremely valuable to the Bills. He is only 27 years old, and still has several key years left in his career.

Johnson will provide institutional knowledge of the scheme and leadership within the defensive secondary that the team has been missing this offseason. Buffalo has released two former starters long-term in cornerback Tre’Davious White and safety Jordan Poyer, while starting safety Micah Hyde is a free agent and is publicly considering retirement at the end of the season.

Signing Johnson to an extension this offseason not only makes him value-constrained with the price likely to rise heading into next season, but it also likely carries a short-term push to free up some cap space in 2024. He carried a cap hit of $12.41 million before reaching a deal. The deal, which was the sixth-highest amount on the 2024 list.

General manager Brandon Beane typically designs contract extensions to get short-term cap relief in the current year, and he did so recently with the Dawkins extension signed last week. The Bills are under the cap even before this deal and could have some room to spend on starters in the coming days.

The team will also receive an additional $10.2 million raise in 2024 effective June 1 when Tre’Davious White is cut.

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