Getty Tremaine Edmunds pressures Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills.
If the Buffalo Bills hope to bring back linebacker Tremaine Edmunds next season, it looks like they won’t get an early advantage and will have to win out in free agency.
The Pro Bowler spoke out about his expiring contract with the team, telling Henry McKenna of Fox Sports that he is looking forward to hitting the open market and testing his value. The Bills are headed to an offseason with little financial spending room, and Edmunds will be one of their most expensive decisions, leading some insiders to suggest that they will spend their limited cap space elsewhere.
Edmunds Looking Forward to Free Agency
Speaking to McKenna at an event in Phoenix last week, Edmunds was asked if he planned to return to the Bills on a renewed contract ahead of free agency. Edmunds said he was expecting to hit the open market, saying a goodbye of sorts to Bills fans.
“I’m gonna let the process take shape,” Edmunds said. “You know what I mean? Like, you know, they’ve been good to me. So I definitely say thank you to the Bills for everything that they’ve done for me these last five years. But like I said, man, I’m just right now — I’m in the backseat.”
The Bills had picked up Edmunds’ fifth-year option prior to the start of this season, but the contract expires in March. The Bills are expected to be tight against the salary cap, with McKenna reporting that the team is currently $16 million over the cap before making cuts and contract restructures to create space.
Edmunds has been a key member of the Bills’ defense, and last year led the team with 102 tackles. But with a big raise likely coming, other insiders have predicted that the Bills will let Edmunds walk in free agency. NFL.com‘s Gregg Rosenthal believes the Bills should focus more on the offensive side of the ball, saying Edmunds will carry too high of a price tag.
The Tremaine Edmunds decision could be the Bills’ biggest of the offseason. Included in my LB review:
-What they should do about Edmunds
-Why LB depth is also a concern
-Full analysis of each player, along with offseason recommendations
All @TheAthletic
“The Bills must add more playmakers around Josh Allen and only have so much cap space and draft currency to do so,” Rosenthal wrote on February 7. “Edmunds was one of the earliest first-round picks made by Sean McDermott’s Bills and he is coming off his best season, but the cost will be prohibitive. Buffalo can’t pay him more than Matt Milano, who is a better player.”
Edmunds Wants to Prove Doubters Wrong
The two-time Pro Bowler could be carrying some extra motivation as he heads into free agency, telling McKenna that he believes he isn’t given the due he deserves.
“I honestly like when people underestimate me, you know what I mean? Like it brings out the best in me,” Edmunds said. “That’s what keeps me going day in and day out because I always work to prove people wrong. So if somebody says I can’t do it, like I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure I prove this person wrong, because they’re gonna come back and circle back and be like, ‘You know what, I was wrong about you man.’ But that’s what keeps me going day in and day out.”