Buffalo Professional Athletes

The most fitting contract extension of the early 2026 NFL season belongs to a linebacker who grew up outside Buffalo, played his college ball in the city, and is now locked in to keep doing his job there for two more years.

The Bills and Joe Andreessen agreed to a two-year, $5 million extension — with $3 million guaranteed — announced just before Buffalo's Week 3 matchup against the Patriots. It's a deal that cements Andreessen's place on a Bills defense that's already producing results: Buffalo beat the Chargers 24–16 on September 27, with Andreessen active for the win.

The extension has ripple effects beyond Andreessen himself. With his roster spot secured, questions now sharpen around what the Bills' linebacker room looks like for Dorian Williams, Sam Franklin, and Keonta Jenkins — players whose paths forward are directly shaped by Andreessen's new deal.

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Khalil Mack on the Other Side of That Loss

While Andreessen was celebrating an extension, his fellow UB alum Khalil Mack was on the wrong end of that 24–16 final. Mack recorded a sack for the Chargers, but Los Angeles dropped to 0–3 — and that's when things got complicated.

Mack has since emerged as one of the most discussed trade candidates in the NFL. The Chargers entered 2026 with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, but a stagnant offense has left the defense — and Mack — carrying a sinking ship. According to reports, Los Angeles now heads into a road game against Seattle facing urgent questions about whether to hold or deal. Mack moving would be seismic; he's one of the most decorated pass rushers of his generation and a foundational UB alumni success story in the league.

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Koonce Delivers in the Clutch

Out in Las Vegas, Malcolm Koonce gave Raiders fans something to cheer about. The defensive end came alive in the fourth quarter of Las Vegas's Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints, finishing with a sack as part of a performance that helped spark a comeback in a 35–27 victory. Koonce's timing matters — he's a player who has long shown flashes, and a clutch fourth-quarter turn could be the kind of moment that cements a larger role.

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Patterson Cut Loose in Minnesota

Not every UB alum had a week to celebrate. Running back Jaret Patterson was released by the Vikings as Minnesota announced a flurry of roster moves, including the signing of Devin Neal. Patterson had been on the practice squad and did not survive the cut when the team reshaped its backfield depth.

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Four UB alumni made news in the same NFL week, in four very different directions. Andreessen signed; Mack's future went uncertain; Koonce shined in a comeback; Patterson was let go. For a program that has quietly built a real pipeline to the pros, the range of storylines this week alone says something about how far Buffalo football's reach now extends.

Khalil Mack is supposed to be one of the anchors of the Los Angeles Chargers' defense. Instead, the Buffalo alumnus finds himself at the center of a mid-season soap opera that has trade rumors, injury questions, and locker room signals all colliding at once — right before a Week 3 showdown against the Bills.

The Trade Noise Is Real

The Chargers limped to an 0-2 start, including a 26-14 home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 — a game in which Mack recorded a sack but couldn't prevent the defeat. That early-season hole has apparently been enough to push Los Angeles' front office toward uncomfortable conversations. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox floated the Chicago Bears as a trade destination, framing it as a potential reunion for Mack with a franchise where he built his star reputation. Heavy Sports reported the Chargers are "under pressure to consider" the deal, a striking admission for a team still in the first month of the season.

The intrigue doesn't stop at the trade desk. A Mack comment about the Chargers' direction — the specifics of which were parsed closely by Sports Illustrated — has added fuel to speculation that Jim Harbaugh may be losing the locker room, or at least losing one of its most prominent voices. Whether Mack's words were a genuine hint or an out-of-context moment, the timing is brutal.

Injury Report Adds Uncertainty

Mack appeared on the Chargers' Week 3 injury report, though his listing was attributed to a veteran rest day rather than a specific ailment. He is expected to play against Buffalo. Still, the optics of seeing his name on a 14-player injury list — alongside Derwin James, who is dealing with a fractured pinky — does little to quiet the noise around a franchise that looks increasingly fragile.

Also ruled out for the Bills game: fellow Buffalo alumnus Kayode Awosika, the Chargers guard who was listed as OUT on the final injury report. Two Bulls in the same building, and both landing on the wrong side of the health ledger in the same week.

Patterson Lands on Vikings Practice Squad

Away from the LA drama, running back Jaret Patterson got a quiet lifeline in Minnesota. The Vikings added the Buffalo product to their practice squad this week, a move prompted partly by punter Brett Thorson's hamstring injury creating roster shuffling. Patterson, a former undrafted back with NFL experience, now has a chance to work his way back into an active role.

The Bigger Picture

For Buffalo fans tracking alumni across the league, this is a strange week. Mack — the program's most decorated NFL product — is at a genuine crossroads, with his future in Los Angeles genuinely uncertain. The Chargers' 0-2 record, the trade speculation, the cryptic comments, and a Week 3 date against his college city's namesake team all converge into something that feels more like a November desperation plot than a September storyline. Whether Mack suits up and silences the noise with a big performance, or whether the drama deepens, Buffalo alumni will be watching closely.