Khalil Shakir

Khalil Shakir (born February 3, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State 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.