Canadian receiver Joshua Palmer opened the 2026 NFL season with a bang.
With the Buffalo Bills needing a spark while trailing the Houston Texans in the late stages of the fourth quarter, the Brampton, Ont. native hauled in a 34-yard touchdown on 3rd & 11 to flip the script and help the Bills to a win in their Week 1 opener.
It was his first touchdown connection with quarterback Josh Allen in 13 games together since joining the team on a three-year deal ahead of the 2025 season.
With Palmer heading into his second season with Buffalo, the sixth-year pass catcher is getting more familiar with his quarterback and his penchant for big plays downfield – as seen in Houston on the game-winning touchdown.
“He plays the game like it’s little league,” Palmer said of Allen in a Tuesday appearance on TSN1050’s OverDrive. “He just has a lot of fun playing. He has a lot of trust in his guys, he’ll throw shots knowing that the worst that can happen is an incomplete pass. We love it, we love taking shots downfield.
“His joy rubs off on guys. A lot of guys are different. I’m more serious, less talkative. He jokes around and comes off as not so serious but is very serious so I think it balances out.”
Palmer’s next test with the Bills comes on primetime as Buffalo plays host to the Detroit Lions in their home opener on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET on TSN1/3/4) to kick off Week 2 in the NFL.
It won’t be just another homecoming however, as the Bills are set to make their regular-season debut at the new Highmark Stadium, the team’s $2.2 billion open-air home featuring over 60,000 seats and natural grass.
“[It will be] like it’s always been,” Palmer said of his expectations for the atmosphere on Thursday night. “Even at the old stadium, the old Highmark, it was very electric, it was very loud. I just think with this new stadium, it’s going to be exactly the same in terms of Bills Mafia and the fans yelling and cheering.
“It’s just going to be a new stadium, but I think they’re going to rock the crowd.”
Palmer, a 2021 third-round pick out of Tennessee, is a veteran of 71 NFL games for his career since coming into the league with the Los Angeles Chargers.
His best statistical season came in 2022, recording career-highs in targets (107), receptions (72), receiving yards (769), first downs (39), mostly serving as the third receiver on the Chargers depth chart behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
After spending the first four years of his NFL career on the west coast, Palmer is happy to be closer to home while playing in Buffalo, just a short trip across the QEW from his family.
“My family, my dad bought season tickets to help whatever family wants to come down,” he said. “But it’s really easy because I used to see my family a lot when I played in California, but playing with the Bills now allows me to see my family more and it makes it easier for them to get to games.”
In a crowded Buffalo receiving room, Palmer will continue to operate as a deep threat for Week 2’s tilt, where he will look to take advantage of a banged-up Lions defence that surrendered 410 passing yards to the New Orleans Saints in their season-opener.
Watch the Bills take on the Lions LIVE Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET / 5:15 p.m. PT on TSN1/3/4, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.
