Getty Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds makes a tackle.
The Buffalo Bills had a bitter end to their season, falling flat against the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round and getting bounced out of the NFL playoffs.
Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said he hopes it’s not his final chapter with the team.
Edmunds has been one of the most important players on defense, and now will be one of the team’s most important decisions of the offseason. He is set to become a free agent in March, but said after Sunday’s loss that he hopes to be able to re-sign with the team that moved up in the 2018 NFL Draft to land him.
Tremaine Edmunds Opens Up on His Future With the Bills
Speaking to reporters after the team’s 27-10 loss to the Bengals on January 22, Edmunds said he has loved playing for the Bills and hopes he can be back again next season.
“Hopefully I’m here, I love it here, I love the brothers that I’ve created since I’ve been here, the coaching staff, the community has welcomed me so hopefully things will turn out to be in my favor as far as being here,” Edmunds said, via Heather Prusak of News 4 Buffalo.
Tremaine Edmunds on his future with the #Bills:
“Hopefully I’m here, I love it here, I love the brothers that I’ve created since I’ve been here, the coaching staff, the community has welcomed me so hopefully things will turn out to be in my favor as far as being here.”
Edmunds made 102 tackles last season, including six tackles for a loss and one sack. He also made one interception.
Tough Choices Ahead for Bills
It’s not clear if the Bills have plans to keep Edmunds. They locked down fellow linebacker Matt Milano with a four-year, $44-million extension in 2021 and are facing a salary cap crunch for the coming season. Quarterback Josh Allen’s cap hit will jump from $16.4 million in 2022 to nearly $40 million next season, while Von Miller’s cap hit jumps to $18.6 million.
With more limited resources, the Bills will need to make some difficult decisions about which players to keep, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Aside from Edmunds, safety Jordan Poyer will also be headed to free agency and had expressed a desire for a contract extension.
As Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox noted, the Bills may need to find ways to create cap space, including a potential split with a trade-deadline acquisition.