Khalil Shakir

Khalil Shakir (born February 3, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boise State Broncos and was selected by the Bills in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Early life Khalil's father was a Master Gunnery Sergeant in the Marine Corps. As a child, Shakir spent time in Hawaii and Japan. Shakir attended Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta, California. He committed to Boise State University to play college football.

College career Shakir appeared in 10 games with one start as a true freshman at Boise State in 2018. He had 16 receptions for 170 yards with one receiving touchdown and one rushing. As a sophomore in 2019, he started five of 14 games, recording 63 receptions for 872 yards with six receiving touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. Shakir started all seven games his junior year in 2020 and had 52 receptions for 719 yards and six touchdowns. Shakir returned to Boise State for his senior season in 2021 and caught 77 passes for 1,117 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Professional career

The Buffalo Bills selected Shakir in the fifth round, 148th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft. Shakir caught his first touchdown pass in Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 38–3 Buffalo victory. In his rookie season, he appeared in 14 games and recorded 10 receptions for 161 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

Shakir's role expanded in 2023. Despite a slow start to the season as Buffalo's number 3 receiver, he became one of Josh Allen's top targets by the end of the year. Shakir had a breakout game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 8, catching six passes for a then-career-high 92 yards, before eclipsing that performance against the New York Jets in week 11 with three catches for 115 yards, with 81 of those yards coming on a third-quarter catch-and-run touchdown. Shakir finished the 2023 season with 611 receiving yards and two touchdowns, catching 39 of 45 targets, which was the top catch percentage by any receiver in the league at 86.7%. Shakir continued to help the Bills in the playoffs, catching a touchdown in both their games, including a 17-yard score in which he shrugged off Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick after a short pass, balanced himself without falling down, and ran in the rest of the way for the touchdown.

Entering the 2024 season, Shakir became the lone remaining starting wide receiver on the Bills from the previous year, as Stefon Diggs was traded and Gabe Davis left in free agency. Shakir started the 2024 season strong as Buffalo's leading receiver, catching his first 17 targets to surpass 30 consecutive catches dating from the previous season and breaking the record previously set by Michael Thomas at 27 consecutive catches. However, he suffered an ankle injury against the Baltimore Ravens and missed the following game as a result. He led the team in receiving that year with 821 receiving yards.

On February 25, 2025, Shakir signed a four-year contract extension through the 2029 season worth $60.2 million with $32 million guaranteed. Shakir once again finished as Buffalo's leading receiver in 2025 with 719 receiving yards. It was noted that in the two years since Diggs' departure, the Bills' passing offense became more focused on short yardage plays, with Shakir operating primarily out of the slot for screen passes and yards after catch due to a perceived lack of downfield catching talent in Buffalo.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season +Khalil Shakir regular season statistics Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Returning Fumbles 2022 BUF 14 2 10 161 16.1 31 1 0 0 — 0 0 4 57 14.3 34 0 0 0 2023 BUF 17 10 39 611 15.7 81 2 1 10 10.0 10 0 10 135 13.5 27 0 1 0 2024 BUF 15 9 76 821 10.8 52 4 2 4 2.0 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 2025 BUF 16 10 72 719 10.0 54 4 1 5 5.0 5 0 16 124 7.8 28 0 1 1 Career 62 31 197 2,312 11.7 81 11 4 19 4.8 10 0 30 316 10.5 34 0 3 1

Postseason +Khalil Shakir post-season statistics Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles 2022 BUF 2 0 5 91 18.2 31 0 0 0 2023 BUF 2 2 10 75 7.5 17 2 0 0 2024 BUF 3 3 18 174 9.7 34 0 0 0 2025 BUF 2 2 19 157 8.3 46 0 0 0 Career 9 7 52 497 9.6 46 2 0 0

Personal life Shakir married his wife, Sayler, in March 2023. They met while attending classes at Boise State University. Their daughter, Sunny, was born in November 2025.

The Shakirs are active in animal advocacy. In August 2025, Shakir saved 19 dogs from euthanasia, with help from the Buffalo-based Nickel City Canine Rescue. Earlier that same year, the Shakirs rescued an additional 26 dogs, with the assist of a transport. They have hosted several dog adoption events, and established the Shakir Family Foundation, a charity that is dedicated to animal welfare, in additional to supporting the military community.