Left tackle Dion Dawkins had an hour to kill before the Buffalo Bills were to announce his three-year contract extension.
In true Shnowman fashion, Dawkins took to Instagram and Twitter, posting a not-so-cryptic message that heavily implied that the two-time Bills nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award would be moving on to another team.
"I'm an entertainer, I'm gonna entertain," Dawkins told the media shortly after the deal, which will keep Dawkins in Orchard Park until 2027, was signed. "I was missing the Mafia, simple as that. I was missing the Bills Mafia and had to figure out which way I could do to get a little bit of something back and forth."
Dawkins, who also said he "woke up trolling", has been a consistent starter in Buffalo and has blossomed into one of the best tackles in the NFL. Just a few months after completing his seventh season in the league, Dawkins said he thought he had put together his best season to date.
"If we're talking about me personally, I did have the best season of my career last year," Dawkins said. "I figured my niche out, I figured out what I needed and the sources were there."
Dawkins gave a shoutout to assistant strength and performance development coach Will Greenberg, citing the work they put in to improve Dawkins' kick slide – a move utilized by offensive linemen to quickly get into pass protection.
Dawkins finished the regular season with the fourth-highest pass block win rate among offensive tackles. His 6.9 percent pressure rate was the third-lowest among left tackles and his average time to pressure of 3.27 seconds was his best since 2018.
The former Temple University star was awarded his third consecutive Pro Bowl nomination, this season as a starter. Now, the Shnowman is rewarded with a new contract to continue playing in a city he now calls home.
"I don't want to be like one of those guys to walk away from greatness and to walk away because, oh, there's palm trees," Dawkins said on Zoom, gesturing to his tropical surroundings. "Buffalo is Buffalo. I love it, the freakin' snow, the wings, the table jumps. … I can't see myself starting over with somebody else."
During the Zoom call, a mysteriously-monikered participant under the title of "Sean from Orchard Park" raised his hand.
"This is Sean from the Orchard Park beat. … You described yourself as an entertainer and I was just wondering maybe if you could share a song with us to mark this special occasion," Sean from Orchard Park said.
After a brief monologue in which Dawkins questioned the identity of the supposed beat reporter who sounded an awful like his head coach, the Bills left tackle broke into a rendition of "Sweet Home Alabama" – replacing the southern state with the name of his home of the last six seasons and through 2027.
"Like my head coach just jumped on a Zoom call when he could be chilling with his family just to say a couple things and to put a smile on my face," Dawkins said after McDermott congratulated him on signing his contact. "It's those little wins that the coaches and the people here go beyond to do that make it special. … He's a good man at heart and that's all I could ask for."
Dawkins' also noted the importance of continuing to give back to the Buffalo community. With his foundation Dion’s Dreamers, Dawkins has worked tirelessly to put smiles on the faces of those around him.
"I can never leave that community," Dawkins said. "Like I wouldn't walk away for nothing. … Buffalo embraced me and when it comes to being loyal I try to define that and I live by that."
