The Buffalo Bills are wasting no time reshaping their roster and coaching staff after a disappointing end to the 2025 season. Just weeks after falling short in an AFC playoff race that, notably, didn’t include Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, or Lamar Jackson, the Bills are already making moves - and one of them involves a familiar face at quarterback.
On the heels of a major coaching shakeup that saw Sean McDermott relieved of his duties and replaced by former offensive coordinator Sean Brady, the Bills announced that quarterback Shane Buechele is back in the building. The team signed him to a one-year deal on Wednesday, continuing what’s been a winding - and at times turbulent - journey for the former Texas Longhorn.
Buechele’s NFL path has been anything but linear. He entered the league in 2021 as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs, spending time on their practice squad before eventually landing with Buffalo in 2023.
That first stint with the Bills was short-lived, as injuries derailed his 2024 season and led to his release ahead of the 2025 campaign. But Buffalo kept the door open, re-signing him to the practice squad later that year.
Then came a twist. After Mahomes went down with a season-ending injury, the Chiefs came calling once again, signing Buechele to their active roster. He made his long-awaited NFL debut against the Raiders, completing 7 of 14 passes for 88 yards - not a breakout performance, but a solid first taste of live NFL action.
Fast forward to January, and Buechele was back in Buffalo, added to the practice squad just as the Bills were gearing up for the postseason.
Now, with Josh Allen dealing with a potential foot surgery and the quarterback depth chart in flux, Buffalo’s decision to bring Buechele back on a one-year deal makes sense. He knows the system, he's earned the trust of the coaching staff, and he’s shown enough resilience to stick around in a league that doesn’t make it easy for fringe players to survive.
For Buechele, this is another shot - maybe not at a starting role, but at proving he belongs in the NFL. For the Bills, it’s a smart, low-risk move in an offseason that’s already seen plenty of change. And with questions swirling around Allen’s health, having a steady, familiar presence in the quarterback room could prove valuable as the team looks to rebound in 2026.