The Buffalo Bills made the right decision by agreeing to a contract extension with Khalil Shakir earlier in the week. Shakir was a success story with the team, and was worth his extension.

The same can be said for former third-round linebacker turned defensive captain Terrel Bernard.

Bernard signed a four-year extension worth $50 million and an annual average of just over $12 million. The contract makes him one of the highest paid linebackers in the game and a player that the team clearly wants to move forward with.

Despite playing in just 13 games, Bernard tallied over 100 tackles with one sack and two interceptions. He has become a captain of the defense and kept the group rolling when Matt Milano was lost for most of the season.

He also came through in some of their biggest wins.

During Buffalo’s AFC Divisional game against Baltimore, Bernard forced a fumble with just under nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Buffalo’s offense turned the takeaway into points as they kicked a field goal on the next drive to extend their lead to and later sealed the victory.

It was always a smart move for Buffalo. There are more moves to make, though.

Whether it was getting an extension done for Greg Rousseau or even running back James Cook, the Bills clearly need to make difficult decisions moving forward. Cook and Rousseau are great players on their team.

But if they feel the two players are asking for too much, the Bills could simply look to move either player at this time.

And it forces those players to decide which is more valuable to this point for them.