Veteran defensive end Jerry Hughes has been worth every penny of the five-year, $45-million contract ($22 million guaranteed) that he inked with the Buffalo Bills on March 9, 2015.
After recording 20 sacks during his first two seasons in Western New York, Hughes signed his contract extension. While his productivity in getting after the quarterback has dropped to 22 sacks over the last four years, much of that is due to the loss of Mario Williams, and also a by-product to the team shifting schemes several times.
Now in Leslie Frazier’s 4-3 defense, Hughes has established himself as the best edge rusher on the team, and he has made tremendous strides as a run defender, too.