Khalil Shakir, wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, attributes his disciplined approach to football and life to his upbringing on a U.S. Marine Corps base in Okinawa, Japan. Shakir, now 25 years old and in his fourth season with the Bills, recalls rigorous youth football practices led by his father Attiyah “Shak” Shakir, a former Marine master sergeant who served 24 years in the military.
“A typical day for Marines is them teaching you discipline — doing the right thing, being where you’re supposed to be when you need to be there,” Shakir said. “And if not, you run.”
Shakir began playing tackle football at age seven under the supervision of his father and other Marines who also coached. He describes their methods as strict but effective in building accountability and persistence. These values have stayed with him throughout his career.
“We got put through Marine-like workouts as 7-year-olds,” he recalled. “If you could picture that, there were a lot of tears, a lot of crying to mom. They didn’t care. It was get on the field and go to work.”
His home life was equally centered around football and family support. After long practices on base, he would continue playing with his two brothers at home under their father’s guidance.
Now an established member of the Buffalo Bills’ offense after signing a four-year contract extension following last season’s career highs in yards and touchdowns, Shakir leads the team with 356 receiving yards heading into Week 9 this year. Since the start of the 2024 season, only Ja’Marr Chase has more yards after catch among NFL receivers.
Quarterback Josh Allen praised Shakir’s commitment: “What I love about Khalil is he just does everything the right way,” Allen said. “He works extremely hard. He practices extremely hard. It’s easy to play with a guy like that — you root for a guy like that.”
Off the field, Shakir spends time with his wife Sayler—whom he met while both attended Boise State—and their two golden retrievers. The couple married in March 2023 and are expecting their first child later this year.
Sayler spoke about her husband’s character: “He always leads by example — that’s something he learned from his dad. He just knows what to do and always treats everyone right.”
The couple’s involvement in animal adoption grew after attending a local event at KeyBank Center in Buffalo where they adopted their second dog Missy; this experience motivated them to become more active in community service efforts related to pet adoption.
In June this year, Khalil and Sayler organized “Shakir Fest” in Boise—a two-day community event including a youth football camp and golf tournament—to benefit K9s For Warriors, an organization providing service dogs for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress.
“I’m a military kid through and through, so when you throw dogs in there, and then being able to help out veterans, it’s a blessing to be a part of,” Shakir said. “That’s part of my identity.”
For these contributions supporting military members and veterans’ families, Shakir was named the Buffalo Bills’ nominee for the NFL’s Salute to Service Award.
“It’s an awesome honor for him,” Sayler said. “It’s his whole life growing up. He’s a military kid moving around, so it means a lot to him, which obviously makes me really proud.”
Attiyah “Shak” Shakir remains closely involved as both supporter and mentor at games during Khalil’s professional career: “His support is unreal,” Khalil noted about his father’s continued presence.
As Khalil prepares for parenthood during an NFL season—with advice from both family members—he continues applying lessons learned early: discipline on the field translates into gratitude off it.
“The one thing my dad told me was that it’s the biggest blessing ever so just enjoy every single step of the way,” he said.
