Tight end Tyler Kroft is signing a three-year, $18.75 million contract with the Buffalo Bills according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. His new pact can be worth up to $21 million with incentives.
The #Bills have agreed to terms with TE Tyler Kroft on a 3-year deal worth $18.75M ($6.25M per year), source said. It can be worth $21M.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2019
Buffalo Bills to Sign Tyler Kroft to Three-Year Deal
Kroft has spent the entirety of his professional career up to this point with the Cincinnati Bengals. He battled injury in 2018, suffering a broken foot which led to him being placed on injured reserve after Week Five. He managed just four catches for 36 yards prior to the injury.
From a statistical standpoint, Kroft’s best season came in 2017. It was then that he tallied 42 receptions, 404 yards, and seven touchdowns. Only five tight ends finished with more touchdown grabs than Kroft that year.
Tight end was certainly a glaring need for the Bills. The team released Charles Clay at the end of the season after an underwhelming 2018 campaign where he accounted for a measly 184 yards and couldn’t muster a touchdown grab. Clay has since signed with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Bengals took Kroft in the third round (85th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. Over his first two seasons in the league, he made a rather meager contribution to Cincy’s offense. He accounted for just 221 yards and one touchdown in that span. But he did start 17 games and brought value as a blocker.
A native of Downington, PA, Kroft played collegiately at Rutgers. In three seasons with the Scarlet Knights, he totaled 70 catches for 901 receiving yards and five touchdowns. His most impressive collegiate campaign came as a redshirt sophomore in 2013 when he led the American Athletic Conference in touchdown grabs. Kroft ended up declaring for the NFL Draft with one year of eligibility remaining.
