The time for change for the Buffalo Bills is now. They’ve already made changes to almost the entire coaching staff, and now we’re about to see what happens with the players. Just this week, 5 players had their contracts voided with the Bills.
Every year, we see this happen in the NFL. Players have “void” years added to their contracts so teams can essentially spread their salaries over a couple of years instead of shorter periods. They call it “kicking a can down the road.” It’s like when you use a credit card. You want to have that something now, but you’re going to pay for it over time. That money that you kick down the road is what people refer to as “dead cap.” It’s money that the team has already spent, but hasn’t paid out yet.
For the Bills, those players include Matt Milano, DaQuan Jones, Joey Bosa, Connor McGovern, and AJ Epenesa.
Does this mean the Bills will not be re-signing these players?
While it feels like we should just say goodbye to all of them, there’s a chance that they might not all leave. It’s up to them now. Negotiations can officially begin on March 9th. They’re all unrestricted free agents, which means they can choose to go to any team that offers them a deal. That includes the Buffalo Bills.
While it is normally in the team’s best interest to sign a player to a longer deal before their contract voids so they can push that money a little further down the road, it’s possible that they could still come to an agreement with any of them.
The Bills are going to need a lot of help on the defensive side of the ball
It definitely looks like the Bills are going to have some pretty big holes in their roster this year. It’s hard to believe that the Bills are going to just let their starting center, Connor McGovern, walk, but it’s possible. You can also see that 4 of those 5 players are on the defensive side of the ball, so don’t be surprised to see the Bills go heavy with defense again in the draft. That’s just a couple of the players that they could potentially lose. It doesn’t include players who were only here on a one-year deal. Plus, with what many are assuming will be a changing scheme with a new defensive coordinator, you might see some different styles of players being chosen.
It will certainly be interesting to see how Brandon Beane plays it this year. He’s got a lot of people watching intently to see if he can make the changes needed to get them over the hump.
4 Free Agents The Buffalo Bills Might Want To Re-Sign This year
Gallery Credit: Brett Alan
4 Free Agents That The Buffalo Bills Might Let Walk This Year
Gallery Credit: Brett Alan
Â