Report: TJ Sanders, Buffalo Bills agree to four-year, $10.6 million rookie contract

The Buffalo Bills and defensive tackle TJ Sanders have agreed to a four-year, $10.65 million deal that has $10.073 guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Sanders was selected No. 41 overall out of South Carolina.

Sanders spent four seasons at South Carolina but had one season of eligibility remaining before turning pro. During his time in Columbia, he appeared in 39 career games with 16 starts and recorded 109 tackles with 17.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. He became an All-SEC first-team talent in 2024, leading the defensive line unit with 50 tackles, including 7.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.

His most memorable moment was a Gamecock came against the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2023 season. Sanders tallied nine tackles, including two for a loss and a sack during the game, setting the stage for the success he’d enjoy over the next two seasons.

The Bills must have saw something they liked out of the former Gamecocks disruptor. They traded up with the Chicago Bears to draft him with the eighth pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

He is the second South Carolina player to agree to terms on their rookie deal on Thursday night. Former Gamecocks defender Nick Emmanwori agreed to a deal with the Seattle Seahawks for $11.6 million over four years — fully guaranteed. Sanders’ contract is mostly guaranteed with just under $600,000 of it not covered in the guaranteed deal.

This comes after both Carson Schwesigner and Jayden Higgins signed fully-guaranteed contracts as second-round rookies earlier this offseason. Schwesigner went 33rd overall to the Cleveland Browns while Higgins was selected 34th overall by the Houston Texans.

Now, all of the first three selections from the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft have been signed to guaranteed deals. Sanders joins the list of second-rounders agreeing to their deals on Thursday and is guaranteed to earn a nice chunk of change over the first four years of his NFL career.

Sanders will now turn his attention toward his first-ever NFL training camp, which beginning on July 13. Fans will be able to see him in a Buffalo jersey for the first time when the Bills take the field for the preseason opener against the New York Giants at home.

Buffalo kicks off the 2025-26 regular season with a headlining Week 1 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 7. It will serve as the first Sunday Night Football game of the season.